Chapter 4: Axe
I don’t know why the fuck I came back to Granite Falls after my third stint in prison. Every time I returned, it was more of the same. The locals didn’t really like my business ventures unless they were customers. The sheriff and I had a long history of disagreeing on how to make money. I didn’t see anything wrong with selling weed to the locals, especially if they wanted to buy it—hell it was legal one state over. The town seemed to have a grip on me that I couldn’t explain. It wasn’t like I had a family to keep me there and I sure as fuck wasn’t going to find love in the shit hole of a small town. If Samantha showed up for the date, she was going to be the first girl I had even shared a drink with since I got out of the big house. I hoped it might lead to more than a drink. I definitely needed to get my dick wet and Samantha was beautiful as fuck. She was easily the hottest girl I had seen in Granite Falls. I walked into The Water Barn and looked around. There was no sign of her, but it was early, so I walked to the bar and took a seat on a stool.
“How’s it going, Axe?” The bartender, Blue, walked over and leaned against the edge of the bar.
“Same old shit.” I let out a sigh. “How have you been?”
“About the same.” He smiled. “You want a beer or something stronger?”
“Let me get a shot of Jack and a beer. I’m waiting for someone.” I pulled my wallet out of my pocket and tossed some money on the counter.
“Coming right up.” Blue tapped the bar and walked towards the rack of liquor.
The Water Barn was bustling with activity, which was unusual for such an early hour. It was usually an older crowd, but I saw a few familiar faces. They were too busy with their drinks or their games of pool to notice me. I knew they would notice Samantha if she showed up. There was no way she was walking into The Water Barn without turning every head in the room. I looked back towards the bar and noticed that Blue had gotten held up with an order at the end of the bar so I waited, tapping my fingers on the bar in anticipation. Blue finally finished with the patron on the opposite end of the bar and walked back to me. He put a shot of Jack in front of me and started pouring my beer. I downed the shot as the beer was ready and immediately chased the shot with a bit of amber lager. Blue was pulled away again and had to deal with another customer before finally coming back to my end of the bar.
“You been riding much since I got locked up? You and Steve hit the highway any?” I sipped my beer again.
“No, I think he put his bike in storage once you went away. I’ve been busy with worth and taking care of Mom.” He poured a shot and discreetly downed it. “How was prison?”
“It sucked...” I grunted and sneered as I laughed quietly. “As usual.”
“How long until you’re back in business?” He leaned against the bar. “It has been dry as shit around here since you’ve been locked up—but hey, more people are buying booze.”
“I don’t know if I want to do that shit again.” I shook my head back and forth. “The sheriff will be on my ass and the mayor even gave me a hard time when I got caught before.”
“I thought he was buying from you.” Blue poured and downed another shot.
“Yeah, not that he would ever admit it.” I sighed angrily. “I don’t know, I might have to do it if I want some money, but I’m going to try and stay legit for a while.”
“That sucks.” Blue shook his head back and forth.
You could have heard a pin drop in the bar when the doors behind me opened. Every voice went silent and even the jukebox seemed to skip a verse in the song it was playing. I knew it was Samantha before I ever turned around. She was the only one who could have gotten that reaction. Blue whistled quietly as I turned around and held my hand up to get her attention. Her face went from one of concern to a smile as she recognized me and started towards me. She was absolutely ravishing and seemed to have recovered from her earlier dance with a flat tire. She walked up and I pushed a stool out with my foot, pulling it close the second she sat down. Her eyes flickered and a smile crossed her face. I could have gotten lose in those eyes for eternity—I could almost see my soul staring back from her emerald colored orbs. Her gaze was so innocent and it was clear she didn’t understand how much of an oddity she was in Granite Falls.
“You made it. What do you want to drink?” I looked to Blue who had his eyes fixed on Samantha.
Keeps your eyes to yourself, buddy.
“You must be Blue.” She turned her attention from me to the bartender. “Your mother says you need to come see her and if you’re not in church on Sunday, she’s going to skin you alive.”
“You know my mother? It looks like you’re drinking for free tonight.” Blue’s lips spread to a smile. “Nice to meet you—”
“Samantha.” She extended her hand and Blue shook it. “Your mother lives next to my grandmother’s place.”
“Oh!” Blue’s eyes seemed to flicker with understanding. “I’m sorry about your grandmother.”
“Thank you.” She nodded with a hint of sadness in her eyes. “I’ll have whatever Axe is drinking.”
“So this is who you were waiting on.” Blue chuckled as he walked over to fix her a beer.
“You’ve been telling people about me?” Samantha turned to me.
“Everyone in town is talking about you.” I turned towards her and lifted my beer to my lips. “Surely you noticed the wind literally being sucked out of the room when you entered.”
“Yeah, I don’t really understand what the hell is going on.” She raised her eyebrows in confusion.
“You clearly don’t know much about Granite Falls.” Blue walked over and put her beer down on the bar.
“I’ll admit that I don’t.” She picked up the beer and took a sip.
Asshole. Now he’s hitting on my fucking date.
“Granite Falls isn’t exactly known for having a balanced population, I guess you could say.” Blue poured a shot and downed it. I could see that his eyes were getting fairly bloodshot.
“Balanced population?” Samantha seemed confused, and I could feel my chance of getting laid shrinking fast.
“Yeah, there aren’t many women here.” Blue chuckled. “Like, almost none...”
“Right...” I realized that I didn’t have much choice but to buy into his story at that point. It was the truth, but it wasn’t exactly a romantic tale. “This town is old—decrepit—most people just leave when they hit eighteen.”
“It sucks.” Blue got a request from a customer at the other end of the bar and walked away before he got a chance to finish his story.
“So, you asked me out because I’m the only girl in town?” She raised her eyebrows in shock as she took another drink from her beer.
“No!” I felt my tone getting a little harsh. “I asked you out because you’re beautiful—it isn’t my fault this town sucks.”
“I met a few people today...” Her lip twisted as she was contemplating her thoughts and she looked around the bar. “...and the only women I met were...old.”
“Welcome to Granite Falls.” I let out a sigh.
Thanks, Blue—you mother fucking asshole.
Blue’s revelation pretty much killed my shot of landing a kiss on Samantha’s beautiful lips. I tried a bit of romance, but even after a couple of beers, she didn’t seem to be buying it. Blue wandered by a couple of times and refilled our drinks, but the crowd kept him busy. Most of the guys in the room were too busy looking at Samantha to drink, but there were enough orders to keep him away. The date was an absolute bust. I killed twice as many beers as she did and she was clearly not going to get drunk enough for something filthy. She didn’t even let me walk her to her car when she decided the night was over. I kicked the edge of the door frame as I watched her climb into the driver’s seat and leave. She was so damn gorgeous and I wanted a fair shot at her. The only option I had was to go home and jack off because I clearly wasn’t getting any pussy. I needed something to drink that wasn’t going to cost me an arm and a leg so I h
it up the liquor store and headed home.
Fucking Granite Falls.
Chapter 5: Samantha
I wasn’t beautiful. I wasn’t important. I was just convenient. That was how I felt when I left The Water Barn and ended my date with Axe. There was only one hotel in Granite Falls and it wasn’t exactly high class, but it was better than trying to spend the night at my grandmother’s cat infested house. I was able to get a few hours of sleep and then I headed to the local church where my grandmother’s ashes were being kept. It seemed like the local preacher was also the mortician—and the coroner. I pulled into the church parking lot and stepped out of my car. I was ready to be done with Granite Falls. My father didn’t tell me anything about population balances or a serious lack of women, but after hearing what Blue said, I started to take note—I didn’t see a single other woman that was anywhere near my age. I walked into the church and hoped I could get my grandmother’s ashes and hole up in my hotel room until I could get my tire fixed. After that, I could be out of Granite Falls forever. My father could deal with the rest when he was better.
“You must be Samantha Grant.” I saw a man walk out of the back room of the church when I stepped into the lobby.
“The fact I’m the only woman you’ve seen in months give that away?” I could feel a bit of a bite in my tone, but I couldn’t help it.
“I’m sorry about your grandmother.” He motioned for me to follow, ignoring what I said. “We took care of the cremation as your father asked, and I have the ashes back here.”
I followed the preacher into the back room of the church which was set up as an office. The name on the desk said Luther Madison and I assumed it was him since he was the only person in the church. He walked over to a table in the middle of the room and picked up a copper colored urn. I had never really put much thought into what would happen when I was gone from the world, but cremation seemed like a strange way to spend eternity. There wasn’t going to be a ceremony, so the only thing left for me to do was to make a trip to the courthouse, sign some paperwork, and then be on my way once my tire was fixed. There was something about Luther that caught my attention when he handed me my grandmother’s urn. His eyes were almost tortured and the crow’s feet around the edge of them looked like it had been put there by some fairly rough days. The pictures along the edge of his desk were of him when he was much younger and there was a woman with him, but I noticed he wasn’t wearing a wedding band.
“That’s my Bonnie.” He saw me staring and walked to the edge of the desk. “She was beautiful.”
“Was?” I blinked a couple of times as I saw his tortured eyes reflect sadness when he picked up the picture frame of them in wedding attire.
“Cancer.” He twisted his lip with a grimace and put the picture back down. “She was young too. I lost my faith after she went to heaven, but God wouldn’t let me stray forever.”
“I’m sorry...” I clutched my grandmother’s urn close, immediately feeling sorry for the man in front of me.
“You mentioned that I probably knew who you were because you were the only woman I’ve seen in months.” He turned towards me. “I guess someone has spilled the beans on Granite Falls.”
“Yeah...” I muttered and shook my head. “I should have known I wasn’t lucky enough to have so many nice people looking at me like I was some kind of princess.”
“God works in mysterious ways. You can’t discount that. When I was lost after Bonnie passed, I swear he sent an angel from heaven to tell me that my days of getting lost in the bottle wasn’t going to get me any closer to her. It might have just been the liquor in my system, but I haven’t touched a drop since.” He smiled and his face seemed to get a little calmer. “You didn’t come to Granite Falls by happenstance. It’s all God’s will.”
“That seems a little hard to believe. I’ve never really bought into the whole faith thing.” I looked at the cross above his door. “Not that I’m actively denying it.”
“You don’t have to believe—just have an open mind.” He walked behind his desk and took a seat. “I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”
“Maybe...” I started towards the door. “It was nice meeting you.”
“You too.” He smiled one final time before I headed back towards the chapel.
THE ENCOUNTER WITH Luther was strange, but I shrugged it off when I got back in my car. I put my grandmother’s urn in the passenger seat and wrapped the seatbelt around it. It was strange to think that her whole life was condensed into one tiny urn. I drove back towards the middle of town where my hotel was located and started thinking about the strange town of Granite Falls. I had never been the center of attention before. I had met guys who were interested in me, but the men in Granite Falls seemed to have a hunger on their breath that was different. I replayed the encounters I had with Axe, the sheriff, Blue, and even the guys at the repair shop. I made it about halfway to town when I saw lights flashing in my rear-view mirror. I had been so consumed with my thoughts that I didn’t notice the car behind me and when the lights came on, I was a bit surprised. I slowed down to a crawl and then pulled to the side of the road. I had no idea why I was being pulled over. I leaned against the door and saw Sheriff Jesse James approaching my vehicle.
“Is there a problem?” I rolled down the window.
“The mayor wants to see you. I can escort you to City Hall or put you in the squad car.” His voice was rather cold and I was taken aback.
“He wants to see me? Why?” I looked up at him.
“Don’t know.” He shrugged. “Are you going to follow me or do I have to arrest you?”
“I’ll...” I felt my heart rate rising. “I’ll follow you.”
I watched as the sheriff went back to his car and waited. I cranked up my car again and turned back towards the road. My heart was still beating hard in my chest. I hadn’t done anything wrong as far as I knew. I definitely didn’t know why the mayor would want to see me or why he would send the sheriff to get me. I drove to City Hall, which was more of a small trailer shaped building than an actual hall. Once my car was in park and I was sure my grandmother’s ashes were secure, I stepped out of my car. Sheriff James parked behind me and got out as well, pointing towards the entrance. It was more than just a little concerning that I was being summoned like a criminal, but I wasn’t being taken to jail, so I considered that some sort of relief. I walked up the steps to the front door and Sheriff James passed me so he could open it. I stepped into the building and followed his extended finger towards a door that had the mayor’s name on it. When I stepped into his office, I saw Mayor Danvers behind his desk. He immediately stood up when I walked inside.
“Please have a seat.” He motioned to the chair in front of his desk. I took my seat nervously and Sheriff James walked into the office, closing the door behind him.
“What’s this about?” I raised my eyebrows in concern.
“You’ve been causing a bit of a stir since you arrived in town, Ms. Grant.” He took his seat again and leaned back in his chair.
“I have?” I looked back to Sheriff James and saw him nodding.
“I know you got an education about our town last night at The Water Barn. Blue has a big mouth, but he’s got a good heart—I can’t say the same about Axe.” The mayor sighed.
“I can’t wait for him to fuck up so I can send him back to prison.” The sheriff sneered.
“Prison?” I looked to the sheriff and back to the mayor.
“Yeah, he’s a bit of a rough one.” Mayor Danvers nodded. “We tried to warn you about him.”
“I had a few drinks with him. That’s all.” I looked between them and tried to read their faces.
“We know.” Sheriff James walked over and took a seat beside me.
“It is our job to keep the peace here in Granite Falls.” Sheriff James looked over at me. “That peace is coming unhinged with you here.”
“I’m leaving as soon as my tire is fixed.” I rapidly looked at the sheriff and nodded.
“Your brother is going to take care of it as soon as the new rim gets here.”
“That’s the thing...” Mayor Danvers drummed his hand on the desk. “None of us want you to go.”
“What?” I looked to him and back at Sheriff James who was nodding again. “I thought you just said—”
“You’re causing a bit of unrest, but it is different with you. I’m used to seeing people go to war when pretty girl shows up—not that we see them very often.” Mayor Danvers leaned forward. “There’s something special about you—something I’m not sure I understand.”
“I don’t think I’m special...” My words trailed off as I saw his glare, which was more intense than I expected.
“I disagree. I think you’re exactly what this town needs.” Sheriff James cleared his throat. “We want you to stay.”
“Why?” I looked to Sheriff James and back to Mayor Danvers.
“This town is dying. If we don’t do something, we won’t have a town in twenty years. I think the key to that is you—you’re what we need. This may seem a bit strange, but you’ve caught the attention of everyone from our local convict to Sheriff James himself...” Mayor Danvers let out a sigh. “...and me.”
Seven Beasts_Reverse Harem Romance Page 18
