by Carmen Faye
“I usually get in around two.”
“Be here at noon. We’ll get you taken care of.” With that, she shoved the door open and disappeared into the bathroom. Staring at herself in the mirror, Maya felt better already. She’d escaped the predatory gaze of her date, and she’d offered to do something really nice for a young man with a work ethic.
She hadn’t brought any makeup, and she didn’t need to touch it up anyway. Instead, she leaned on the counter and told herself she could handle this. She was a big girl, and she did things only because she wanted to. And she definitely wanted Vance tonight. But she had to slow things down. She wanted to have a normal date, or at least, as normal as it could be with a guy who lived in the desert amidst violence and gangs.
Returning to the table, she slid in and told Vance, “Sorry about that. I don’t know what came over me.”
He didn’t seem to mind, relaxed in the booth with his arms stretched out over the back. He was the image of sex, his vest slung over the seat beside him so she could see every line and ripple of his muscular chest and arms beneath the stylized t-shirt bearing an artistic impression of the Grim Reaper. His biceps bulged and stretched the hem of his sleeves, and the tendons stood out all the way down his arms to his large, rough hands.
And she knew what lay beneath the rough dark denim of his jeans. His legs were strong and thick, and what stood between was long and sturdy, smooth, and perfectly formed. She had to stop thinking about it, or she was going to be right back where she’d been before she’d excused herself.
“Do you see your family often?” he asked, seemingly out of nowhere.
Shaking off the mental whiplash of such an abrupt change of subject, Maya was grateful for it and replied, “Not really. I have a standing weekly call with my parents. We get together around Easter and again at either Thanksgiving or Christmas. And I try to make a surprise visit once a year in between.” She knew he didn’t see his family, so she didn’t ask. “Do you ever get out of here? Take a vacation?”
He shook his head. “If I need time away, I just crawl into my house and stay there for a while. Or I take a long ride. I’m always home at night.” He seemed troubled. “I don’t travel if I don’t have to.”
Have to. Maya assumed that was related to club business, and she was on a need to know basis that didn’t involve clarifying that statement. The food arrived, and they were both hungry enough that the conversation died off while they ravaged their plates. It was delicious, and as she finished, Maya was quite full. She was anxious to get back to Vance’s house, but she wanted to let the food settle a bit, too, so she was relieved when he asked if she wanted to have a drink at the bar.
They walked back over to the Wheelie Bar in no hurry, and as they sat down, Maya thought that she might be taking this too far. She suddenly had an image of herself driving out of the desert stop and regretting leaving. She felt an emptiness inside at the idea of going back to her daily life, modeling and attending parties and events. Sure, she would be busy, but it felt like she would be missing something she hadn’t missed before.
CHAPTER SIX
The banter with Maya had gotten pretty intimate, and Vance was having difficulty separating emotion from sexual attraction. She was more practical and hands on than he had expected, and she was par for par with retorts to his quips. As a whole, she was quite a woman, not just a pretty face. She had an incredible sense of humor, a good soul, and a lot of substance.
If he had ever thought of settling down, those were qualities he would have looked for in an old lady. And on top of that, she was strong, which was key in being with someone who led his lifestyle.
He debated backing off. He wasn’t used to feeling anything, and when she’d questioned his nickname, he’d purposely avoided mentioning the alternate reason for it. He found himself not wanting her to think of him as emotionless, even though that was exactly how he’d been for years. Now, he called it into question, wondering what about Maya awakened long dead feelings within him. He didn’t know whether to relish the sensation or fight it. He was a hard man, a man of business who preferred a gun over a cell phone and a motorcycle over an Escalade.
Maya came from a different world, one that didn’t fit into his, no matter how he painted the picture. She probably lived in a luxury apartment in the heart of downtown New York and went to black tie affairs with male models for escorts. It was a far cry from the sweltering desert and his humble house. And Vance had worn a tuxedo once in his life. It had itched so badly and had been so hot and uncomfortable that he’d shredded it with a hunting knife and burned the strips after he was done with it.
“I asked you where you were going, but I never asked where you came from,” he finally said, not wanting to stay silent too long and needing a topic of conversation that would distract him from his wayward thoughts. He figured he could find something that didn’t bring up emotions or arousal.
She raised one perfectly manicured brow and gave him a hint of a smile. “Are you asking now?”
He acknowledged that with a nod. “Fair enough. Yes, I’m asking. Where are you from?”
She waited while Joe delivered their drinks. “That’s not a simple answer.”
“I’ve got nothing but time,” he told her, leaning his elbow on the bar and getting comfortable.
She took a deep breath. “I was born in Kansas City, Missouri. My mother divorced my father when I was three and moved to Oklahoma City, where my grandparents were. She met my stepfather a year later, and when they got married, we moved to Orlando, where he lived. I went to University of Texas in Austin after high school, but when my career took off, I did a short stint New York. But once I’d made enough money to choose where I lived and travel, I decided to move back to Texas. I live just north of Houston, so I’m close to San Antonio and Austin, too.”
That explained why she didn’t have a localized accent. She’d lived in such a variety of places it had melded her into the perfect example of a nondescript American. “That’s a lot of moving,” he commented.
“I’m used to it. And it makes traveling for work easier. I’m not so tied to one place that it’s hard to get up and go on the drop of a dime.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “What about you? Where did you matriculate from?”
“Nice choice of words,” he said with a rueful smile. He was thankful for the drink; it gave him something to do with his hands, something to focus on aside from Maya’s shapely legs, glistening lips, and searching eyes. “I was born in a small town near Cincinnati, but my mother was a bit of a transient. We went from place to nameless place, and we landed in Tucson for a while. Then, business took her to Vegas, and that’s where we parted ways.” He didn’t want to dredge up the entire story; it would only scare Maya off. As much as he wanted to keep a distance between them, he wasn’t ready to just let her go yet.
Besides, he didn’t want to see pity in her eyes. Vance didn’t want sympathy from anyone, especially this woman. Maya was probably the purest thing to come into his life since he was a child, and it felt good to have something pure, even if it was limited by time and plausibility.
“And you said I moved a lot,” she laughed softly. Not an ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘that’s terrible’…just an offhand comment. Maya really was something special.
“It takes one to know one,” he returned. “And it’s different than being an army brat, isn’t it?”
“Completely,” she agreed, rolling her eyes. “Do you know how many of those spoiled kids I met along the way?” She made a mocking face and spoke in a whine. “‘I’ve been to eight schools in five years. My father’s a corporal in the Navy, and I’m going to be just like Daddy.’ It’s pathetic.” She laughed. “I shouldn’t be so mean. I don’t know what it’s like, and I rarely dog on anyone when I haven’t walked in their shoes.”
“I know what you mean though. A lot of people in my situation would have joined the military for he ‘structure and discipline’ it gives.” He made air quotes. “That’s what weak
people say.” He respected the military; they risked their lives to keep the nation safe. He just didn’t think everyone who signed up had good motives, and he didn’t like to hear people complain about it when it was their choice. Changing the subject again, he asked, “How did you get into, uh, marketing?”
She nearly choked on her drink. “You make it sound like I’m romanticizing it, like referring to a prostitution ring as an escort service.” She shook her head. “Do you not believe me?”
He shrugged. He didn’t want to be too forward about it, but he wasn’t blind. “I’m not saying beautiful women don’t sit behind desks or have brains. You’re obviously intelligent. But with your looks, I think you’re skirting the truth.”
“Hmm,” she said. She was silent for a moment, and then she asked, “What do you think I really do?”
Leaning forward so their faces were inches apart, he said softly, “I don’t think you’re lying, exactly. Models are in marketing, if you think about it.”
She blushed, and Vance was pleased. He loved the color in her cheeks. It made her look even younger than she already did. “So, you know who I am?” she asked quietly.
He blinked at Maya, frowning in confusion. Apparently, he’d still underestimated her. Was she a famous model? If so, he felt incredibly stupid for not recognizing her. “I’m sorry, I don’t. Should I?”
He didn’t understand why she appeared relieved. “Not necessarily. I’m glad you don’t.” She didn’t back away, and the intimacy was killing Vance. He had a hard time disconnecting from her and found himself drowning in her eyes. It wasn’t like him to be so out of control, and he didn’t know if he liked it or not. “Vance?”
“What?” he asked gruffly, her whispered question exciting him more than he wanted to admit.
She didn’t respond, but gravity seemed to be pulling them together, until their lips were almost touching. Vance only had to move an inch to close the distance, and he craved the taste of her. He didn’t care that he could feel the eyes of every other Mojave Boy in the bar boring holes in his back, waiting for him to make a decision. And he didn’t care how much they would berate him for being so sappy. This was his life, his choice, and he’d be damned if Maya wasn’t his woman, at least for this night.
A bang made Maya jump, and it had Vance on high alert. He sat up straight, and his eyes went to the door that had flown open and hit the wall. He clenched his teeth as he saw six Scorpions striding through it. He reached for the gun he usually kept at his back, but he had left in the office at the back before meeting Maya. He cursed himself for being so stupid and only took his eyes off his enemy long enough to see how many brothers he had at his back.
He felt the first wave of concern as he saw that Joe and several others had apparently gone out back to smoke. The three Boys still inside were already approaching him to stand with him against whatever attack was coming. Vance knew this wasn’t a random hit, and it had nothing to do with the party they had sent to Moreno, the leader of the rival club.
This was the retaliation he’d been expecting.
“Hey, man, where do you get off coming into one of our establishments and knocking off one of our brothers?” the one in front said, as he came angrily toward Vance.
Stepping in front of Maya protectively, he replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I stopped at a gas station in my club’s territory, and three of your men attacked me. I shot one of them in self-defense and even bandaged him up so he wouldn’t bleed to death. I didn’t kill anyone. You’ve got the wrong guy, man.”
“You’re full of shit, ese,” the leader accused, jabbing a finger at him. “That was my brother you killed. I buried him myself.”
“I’m telling you, hermano, it wasn’t me. Something must have happened after I left. Maybe he was afraid of the repercussions for disobeying orders and being somewhere he shouldn’t. That gas station is in our territory, and no Scorpions should have been within twenty miles of it. Or maybe he was afraid because he was sent there. Maybe it was an order to come into our territory and take care of business. Then, he failed to kill me, and he shot himself rather than face Tres Amenazas.”
Normally, Vance would have just pulled a gun, pointed, and shot. But he didn’t have his pistol on him and didn’t have time to jump behind the bar and find the one that was always kept there for such instances. Plus, he didn’t want a gun fight to break out with Maya here. Mostly, he was concerned for her safety, but he also didn’t want her to see that side of him if he could help it.
“You’re a liar, man. You know my brother, Pinto, is going to be crippled because of you?” the leader spat at him.
“If you got him to a hospital or doctor in time, he won’t be. I didn’t do permanent damage, unless you waited too long to take care of your brother,” Vance countered. He knew how to shoot, and if he had wanted to cripple the kid, he would have done so. If he didn’t make a full recovery, that was on the Scorpions.
“I’m tired of your lip, man. I think I’m going to break your jaw to make sure I don’t have to hear anything else from you.” The other five Scorpions moved forward, forming a line that blocked any exit. Dusty, one of the guys standing with Vance, had a hand at his waist, and Vance glanced sideways at him, giving a short shake of his head in warning. He didn’t want anyone pulling a gun. If they did, this was over. They were outnumbered two to one, and they didn’t even all have weapons. There was no way they could take all the Scorpions down before someone on their side got shot.
Vance figured he could better protect Maya in a fist fight, even if blades were drawn. He put a hand on her knee, willing her to sit perfectly still and stay out of the fray. “Look, guys, I…”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence as he ducked a right hook. Vance came up swinging, but the Scorpion grabbed his fist and tried to wrench his arm behind his back. Vance was stronger than that and broke free of the hold, but the battle had broken out. Dusty and Cougar had already jumped in, two Scorpions attacking each of them. Vance didn’t watch; hand to hand, they had the advantage. The Scorpions relied on their weapons and weren’t nearly as strong or experienced as the Mojave Boys.
Vance’s priority had to be keeping Maya safe, and he threw himself into the fight wholeheartedly, angry that these filthy assholes had interrupted his evening and threatened him on his home turf. He got a solid punch to the leader’s gut just as another member caught his elbow and took a low blow to his kidneys. Vance groaned, but he breathed through the pain and kept going, using the guy’s hold on him to swing him around and throw him off. He ran into one of the tables and fell to the ground, a bit dazed, which gave Vance time to turn back to the leader, who was aiming for his jaw. He couldn’t dodge the blow, but he turned his head in time to catch it behind his ear, which made his ear ring but also had the rival’s fist slipping off the side of Vance’s head with far less pain or damage than he could have done.
In return, Vance shoved a foot into the guy’s knee hyperextending it and causing the guy to scream and collapse to the ground. But in the motion, he’d moved too far away from Maya, and as he heard her cry, “Get off me!” he nearly panicked. The kid he’d knocked into the table had grabbed her arms and was trying to spin her around so her back was to his chest and he could better control her. As it was, she kicked and flailed, fighting like a champ to keep him from overpowering her.
Maya stomped his foot, but the Scorpion just growled angrily and let go with one hand long enough to pull a knife. The switchblade flew open, and he pointed it at Maya’s throat. “Don’t move!” he told her in a heavy accent.
Maya froze, and so did Vance. The guy spun her and pulled her against him, holding the knife an inch from her throat. “Back off, ese, or she’s dead.” Vance held his hands in the air where they could be seen, and before he could try to defend himself, the leader hobbled up in front of him and clocked him square in the nose. It started to bleed instantly, along with his lip where the fist had shoved it into his tooth, and Vance was just
glad his nose wasn’t broken, but the fight wasn’t over yet.
As soon as they realized what was happening, Dusty and Cougar quit fighting. The other four Scorpions were breathless and hurt anyway, and they were going to have difficulty getting up. Still, with Maya’s life at stake, Vance was willing to suffer the beating and even risk his own life to make sure she was safe. If the Scorpions killed him, there would be no holding back. His brothers would kill every last one of these guys or die trying.
“Oyeme, boys,” the leader told his crew, barely standing and putting most of his weight on the good knee. “Tie those two up while I bloody this guy. Then, we’ll carry him and the puta out, and he can watch us have a little fun with her through his swollen eyelids.” The man holding Maya gave a leering smile and let the hand without the knife slip down over one breast.
Maya shifted and knocked the arm away. Vance started to jump in as the guy wrenched her tighter to him, but the leader held up a hand to stop everyone. “No duele,” he demanded. Don’t hurt her. He looked back to Vance and said, “Don’t make a mistake, bro. I stopped him only because I didn’t tell him it was okay to mess with her right now.”
