by T. A. Grey
Conversations were held in loud shouts in order to be heard over the music, glasses clinked together in toasts that spilled beer down frosted mugs, and laughter rang out.
“Come on,” Kaity said, yelling over the noise.
The three of them wound their way inside and Alicia was surprised to find the place formed an L. They’d only been in the shorter half of the bar, but down the longer pass was more tables, a few of which were open, and two pool tables sat in the back next to a dart board and a cramped corner where a couple hung to each other dancing so close it bordered on excessive PDA.
Alicia and the MacKellen sisters took a seat at one of the tables toward the back where it was slightly less loud.
“Great place, huh?” Kaity’s eyes were bright and wide with excitement.
Alicia nodded as her own blood started to pump with energy from the music, the smiling crowd, the joyous laughter. Everything just felt good. That was…until she glanced over at Hanna who looked like her mother just died.
Damn.
Kaity flagged a gorgeous-looking waitress with dark black hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. She wore tight little shorts and a tight top. The woman, Sam, had an easy smile and a wink for all of them. It was easy to tell that Sam knew the MacKellen sisters well. Nice or not, Alicia glanced at Sam’s rocking body with envy.
Kaity caught her stare and laughed. “I know. Hell, we all know. Sam knows.” She shrugged. “She gets extra tips dressing like that and I don’t blame her. She’s got a kid to feed and no dad at home. Plus, the girl is sweet as pie. That is, unless you piss her off. You don’t want to make her get her shotgun. She has used it before.”
Hanna snorted and Kaity’s smiled huge. Shotgun? Damn, that woman was serious.
Their drinks arrived, each of them having ordered a Long Island Iced Tea, a delicious drink filled with at least five different kinds of alcohol. They were half-price tonight. Alicia was never much of a drinker but she didn’t mind going out and unwinding. ’Course she didn’t do that so often now.
Kaity peered at Hanna with a determined eye. Time to get serious. “He’s a piece of shit. You’re making the right decision.”
Hanna shook her head. “Easy for you to say, you’ve never been mated. God, it’s so humiliating. What am I gonna do?”
Kaity may be the youngest MacKellen sister but her eyes were wise and bright with intelligence. “You’re going to pick yourself back up, grow stronger, and move forward. It’s all you can do.”
Alicia lifted her eyes in surprise. Kaity spoke from experience. The girl was so young though, maybe twenty-four, tops. Who’d hurt her that badly already?
“Kaity, I don’t even know what to do now. I don’t know what to do when I go home or tomorrow or the next day…and the next day. What do I do then?”
Bitter memories surged in Alicia’s mind like an unwanted visitor that wouldn’t leave. She took a deep breath and pushed the memories of Robert away.
“It takes time,” Alicia found herself saying. “It’s one day at a time. You may want the world to stop spinning but it doesn’t. It just keeps on moving whether you’re ready for it or not. All you can do is deal with the pain. There is no easy way. You just do it however you do it, but every day you have to make yourself get out of bed and work. You gotta do something. You have to keep moving. Have to keep your head up. Have to move on.” When she finished speaking her voice had gone quiet. Blinking, she realized both Kaity and Hanna stared at her with soft, teary-eyed expressions.
“Hell, someone hurt you too,” Kaity said softly.
A frog was stuck in Alicia’s throat. She cleared her throat and coughed until she could speak over the lump. “It was a long time ago.” Though it didn’t feel that way, it never did. “I just understand a little of what you’re going through, I guess.”
Hanna was nodding. “I think I’m going to quit my job.”
Kaity did a double take. “What? Why? Just because you work for the same company doesn’t mean you have to let that bastard
---”
Hanna held up a hand. “No, it’s not like that. Besides, I work from home, right? It’s not like I’d ever have to see him if I stayed at Union Lab Corp. No, it’s just that I want to do something else.”
“Oh man, like some kind of mid-life crisis? Aren’t you too young for that?” Kaity asked. “Does thirty count as mid-life?” She glanced at Alicia for confirmation. Alicia shrugged. Who knew?
Hanna rolled her eyes. “It’s not a mid-life crisis. It’s simply a career change. That’s all,” she said strongly.
Alicia noted that their drinks were nearing empty and flagged down the gorgeous waitress and ordered them a pint of strawberry margaritas.
“Margaritas,” Hanna said with wonder. “Never had them before.”
“For real?” Alicia said, chuckling.
“Yes, really,” she said in all seriousness.
Once they all had their ice cold glasses filled to the rim with deliciously sweet and tangy strawberry margaritas, there was a definite change in the air. The girls started to relax. Hanna no longer looked as if she might break down and cry at any moment. Kaity was bouncing in her seat with barely contained energy and Alicia found herself smiling like a silly fool.
“What do you want to do then?” Alicia asked Hanna.
She shrugged. “I’ve always wanted to be a bartender. Oh! Or maybe a bounty hunter. That has to be a bad-ass job.”
Kaity had been mid-sip on her straw when she heard that. She spewed her drink as she broke down into a fit of laughter. Alicia couldn’t help it, heck she didn’t even really get it, but her body was warm and happy and someone was laughing. So something must be funny. She broke down into giggles.
Heads from across the bar swiveled their way at their hyena, out of control laughter.
“A bounty hunter? A bounty hunter? Who do you think you are, Lara Croft?” Kaity asked.
Alicia held up her hand. “Wait, wait, wait. Lara Croft is the tomb raider not the bounty hunter.”
Hanna nodded sagely. “She’s right. Dog is the bounty hunter.”
“Who the hell is Doug the bounty hunter?” Kaity asked loudly, sucking on her straw again.
“No, it’s Dog the bounty hunter. Big guy, crazy white hair, big black sunglasses. He’s a sixty-year-old redneck biker who looks like he had plastic surgery to look younger,” Hanna said.
Alicia choked on her drink. They all feel into peals of laughter, Hanna slapping the table as if to say why aren’t you laughing too, table?
“Why would you want to be a bounty hunter?” Kaity asked.
“ ’Cause they’re badasses who go out and get what they want. They take charge. They’re strong.” The low ring of sincerity in her voice quieted the girls down.
“You can be that,” Alicia encouraged. “Maybe you’re more of it already than you know.”
Hanna gave her big, beautiful smile that completely transformed her face. Alicia sucked in a breath. It was that beautiful. Damn. She’d never seen her smile, not once since she’d been here. Of course it was no wonder when she was dealing with such hard personal issues.
“Okay, time to change the subject,” Hanna said loudly. Kaity glanced wildly around them then hushed her older sister. Hanna sent her a peeved glare and continued just as loudly. “Let’s talk about you, Alicia. Kaity and I know all about each other. But we don’t know much about you, Alicia Clark.”
“It’s Clarkson.” Alicia laughed, correcting her last name.
“Huh?” Hanna asked, blinking.
Alicia shook her head. “Never mind, it’s nothing.”
Hanna nodded seriously. “So what’s brought you to our pack?”
Alicia snorted and Kaity slapped her sister’s arm, sending her a warning glare. “She’s not here on vacation, dummy, she’s here because of Gavin.”
Alicia’s ears perked up. Gavin. Just the name she wanted to talk about. She had to go about this delicately.
Lifting her elbow, she set i
t on the table and leaned on it casually. However, the elbow wobbled and she struggled to keep it steady as she rested her chin on her fist.
“Sooo, Gaviiiin,” she started.
Wide-eyed, Kaity nodded enthusiastically. Hanna bit her lip in a nervous gesture.
Tact, Alicia. Use tact. These are his sisters, after all.
Nodding to herself, she asked, “What’s wrong with his face?”
Wince. Damn. That wasn’t what she was supposed to say.
Hanna’s eyes widened into saucers. Leaning forward, she spoke in a loud whisper. “We’re not supposed to talk about it.”
“Why?” Alicia whispered back just as loudly.
“ ’Cause he doesn’t want us to. Especially with you.”
Alicia cautiously looked over her shoulder and scoped out the bar. “But he’s not here and so he won’t ever know,” she said as if bestowing some grand information on the sisters.
Kaity nodded readily. “True enough. I think we should tell her. ’Sides, he probably won’t, like ever. It’s already been like, what, a week and he still hasn’t even shown her. So ridiculous. I mean, who does that?”
Hanna was nodding but not quite as enthusiastically. Alicia eyed her target and knew she’d have to work her magic there.
She leaned in close to Hanna, batting her lashes like she was trying to get out of a speeding ticket. “I like him, I do, but he won’t tell me anything about it. He won’t even show me.”
“You like him?” Hanna asked sharply.
Gulp. A blush colored her cheeks; she just hoped it wasn’t as bright as the strawberry margaritas in front of her. “I do. I mean, we mostly talk through doors.” Or blindfolded. “But he wants to continue this whole thing,” she waved her hand about, “for the rest of the month. I mean, really, it’s crazy!”
Kaity was nodding. “I know. I’ve tried to talk to him but he’s set in his ways about this.”
Seeing that Kaity was on her side, Alicia jumped on her. “See, I’ve tried to talk to him about it too but he’s so damned stubborn. Just tell me something, please. What happened? When did it happen? How? Why won’t he just show me his stupid face? I’ll tell you, sometimes it makes me so mad thinking about it I just want to rip out my hair!”
The girls blinked at her with parted, surprised mouths. Slowly wincing, Alicia looked around to see that those around them had all turned at her little outburst.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
The sisters glanced at each other. Kaity drummed her fingers on the table, then took a long gulp of her drink. Hanna slowly started nodding. They appeared to come to some sort of conclusion without saying a word. As if they’d planned it, they both leaned in close at the same time, their eyes devious and lips quirked up in a way that must be a family trademark.
“About four months ago---” Kaity began.
“More like three and a half,” corrected Hanna.
Kaity rolled her eyes. “Whatever. So our old alpha, Joseph Harrington, had a major freak-out. See, he wasn’t the nicest guy and we all kind of hated him. But no one challenged him for alpha position.”
“Why not?” Alicia asked. “Not even Gavin?”
Kaity bit her lip, shaking her head. “No, I guess not. So, he’s got this really young mate, like younger than me and it was weird. She didn’t like him at all. Their whole mating was a pre-arranged deal by her father. Real fishy, but we were friends with her ’cause she rocked. Her name was Vanessa Kategan. She’s related to the Kategans from the Midwest pack.”
Hanna elbowed her sisters. “Get on with it. We’ll be here all night at this rate.”
Kaity glared at her sister. “Do you want to do this?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. So, she runs away to Chicago.”
“Who does?” Alicia asked, getting confused. Her mind was fuzzy from a mixture of The Proclaimers blaring “I’m Gonna Be” over the speakers, and the—she counted the number of refills she’d had in her glass—one…two…three margaritas. Oh, and that Long Island Iced Tea. Yeah, she was definitely in happy, smacky town.
“Vanessa did. She finally left the jerk after two years of putting up with him. She tries to get a divorce from him at the Justicars headquarters in Chicago. Long story short, she meets an old vampire friend and they fall in love. He helps her, Joseph goes after her, ends up getting killed. So on and so forth.”
Alicia nodded, wiggling in her seat, eyes wide and straw slurping away between her pursed her lips. This story was good.
“After we got word that Joseph died, we did a challenge at the full moon. Typical alpha challenge, right? All the biggest, baddest dudes who had the guts stepped up to fight for the alpha position,” Hanna said.
“So, Gavin stood up to the challenge,” Alicia concluded.
Hanna paused, bit on her lip nervously. “Not exactly. He, well…” She glanced at Kaity for help.
“He didn’t want to do it, but he was forced into it in a way. He only did it because Will was going to—the idiot.”
“Will, he’s only…how old?” Alicia asked.
Kaity nodded. “Exactly. He’s only nineteen, the youngest in our family, but he hated Joseph so much and he kept saying he thought it was his calling to become alpha. I felt really bad for him, we all did, but he hasn’t even finished growing into his body yet. He’s so young and the other competitor, the one everyone had their eye on was Marcus Graham. He’s a mean son of a bitch. Gavin knew there was no way Will could survive the match. Marcus wouldn’t take it easy on him if they fought, no way, so Gav stepped up in his place.”
“And he won,” Alicia said with wonder.
The sisters nodded. “He did. It was a brutal fight. I’d never see anything like that. Two men throwing everything at each other, channeling their inner lykaen in a way I’d never see. Gosh, it gives me chills just thinking about it. Moving so fast, so powerfully. Will still hasn’t forgiven him. Gavin embarrassed his pride by stepping up the way he did and ordering him to stand down.”
So that explained the animosity between Will and Gavin. “Is that how his face got scarred?”
The sisters glanced at each other and pressed their lips together.
“Oh, come on really, you won’t even tell me that?” Alicia poured another glass and sipped hard on her straw, pouting and batting her lashes.
Kaity hissed at her sister, probably not realizing Alicia could totally hear her. “Why not tell her that? That’s not too much? Right?”
Hanna shook her head. “I don’t know, Kaity. She’s smart. She might start putting things together.”
Alicia narrowed her eyes but when they looked at her she immediately smiled as if to say see how friendly I am? You can trust me! Tell me all your secrets!
“No,” Kaity said.
Alicia’s shoulders sagged. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand why everyone is so close-mouthed about his face. What’s the big deal, really?”
Kaity shook her head. “No, I mean that’s not how his face got scarred or at least…I don’t think so.”
Alicia made a face. “What?”
She shrugged. “Listen, all I know is he was fine before the fight, he was fine after the fight, except for the typical blood and bruising, but the next day… That next morning it was there. He won’t talk about. After almost four months of trying, we just stopped.”
Alicia took that information and rolled it around in her brain. However, her drunken, fuzzy brain wasn’t in prime position to analyze this new data yet.
“I see,” she said, not seeing at all.
A new song came over the jukebox and Kaity stood, kicking her chair back with a squeal. “This is my song! Let’s dance!”
Alicia didn’t dance. She didn’t know how or even where to begin, and yet she found herself pulled up by Hanna and Kaity, wiggling her body like a worm on a hook to some song that sounded modern with a catchy beat. Alicia preferred her classic rock with heavy power chords and sexy voices. Still, she found herself bouncing around with Hanna a
nd Kaity, shaking her tush and shimmying like a 1920s burlesque dancer.
Everything started to pass in a blur. She had no sense of time. Drinks came and were drunk. The girls danced together like a bunch of wild sorority sisters out on the town looking for attention. Sam, the cute waitress, would sidle by and do a little dance with them, laugh and spin away.
Alicia couldn’t remember feeling this good in a long time. Well, she could, but it was a different kind of feeling good. Something close to how she felt when she’d first designed her killer feathered bra and panty set. That kind of glowing excitement of greatness, of rightness that just hit her deep in the gut and settled there with a pleasant warmth.
That feeling was in full force now.
That was, until the music suddenly caught off with a screech.
“What the hell is going on here?” a gruff voice split through the bar, silencing all conversation.
Dazed, Alicia and the MacKellen sisters were much slower to turn. When Alicia did she found the big and burly Jo MacKellen standing inside the front door, those tree trunk arms crossed over his massive chest, his glower trained on them. Did the man have any other expression or was his glower trademarked?
Alicia took one step back and planted herself behind Hanna and Kaity. Just in case. The guy was huge after all and with that scowl, and those tattoos running up his arms disappearing into his shirt, he looked like a mafia thug about to bash some heads in. Hopefully not hers.
“Hanna, Kaity, and Alicia, home. Now.”
The sisters snapped to and ran to the table to grab their purses and take one last sip at their now watery margaritas. Rushing, they came to Alicia and hugged her sloppily. One of them grabbed her ass.
“Where are you going?” Alicia asked, baffled.
“Hey, you too. Grab your shit,” Jo ordered.
Alicia’s jaw dropped. The whole bar was watching this as if they were putting on some sort of show. Well, she wasn’t putting on any show, and she wasn’t leaving just because he came all up in here throwing his macho arrogance around.
