“You don’t like anybody. You like me. C’mon, dude, everybody does. Right, Zanna?”
“You’re hot.” She grinned at him. “People like hot people.”
“See? Come on.” He opened his door. “I hope somebody here makes good Mexican food. I’ve been jonesing for some good Mexican food.”
She and Colt followed behind him and Zanna was surprised to see that Levi was immediately recognized. A couple of teenage boys came up to him asking to take a selfie with him.
“I forget you all are famous.”
“We aren’t. Levi is. Even though Duke does all the designs and oversees all the projects he’s rarely seen on camera. I’ve never been on the show. Levi is the star.”
“He’s got something special about him, doesn’t he?”
“He prematurely aged me. He always loved kart racing as a kid but he started drag racing when I took him to live with me in California.”
“You took Levi away from here?”
“I had to. Duke got locked up. Half the town hated us. I was just out of college but I had a good job in a major tech company. I wanted him to have a fresh start. I never thought a year later he would be training to be a Formula One driver. By the time he was twenty-one he was in Europe racing professionally. I wanted him to have a normal job, but he was car-crazy like Duke.”
“You fixed it so that he would have a normal job. Well, maybe not a normal job, but at least one that won’t get him killed.”
“What?” He seemed surprised by her statement.
“You started King’s Customs to bring your brothers back together.”
“Duke started it. All I did was grow it.”
“But you didn’t have to. You could have been successful anywhere. It was important to you to have your brothers be a part of it. Why, Colt King, I do believe you are a big sweetie pie.”
He shook his head but didn’t deny it. “I’ve never cared for having a boss. Why should I make money for somebody else when I can make it for myself?”
“Hey, guys,” Levi said, rejoining them. “A kid told me there’s a truck that’s selling good carne tostadas.”
They made their way through the crowds to see vendors selling fresh veggies, handmade soaps, and beaded jewelry. There was so much food this weekend. Homemade fudge, cupcakes, ice cream, and cotton candy. It reminded her of the fairs her grandparents used to take her to when she was a kid. She liked coming here, even if she was alone, because it made her feel closer to them. But now she was here with two of the King boys, one on each side of her flanking her like soldiers, and it was a different experience. People were actually staring at them. Half of them because they recognized Levi from his TV show, the other half locals who were finally seeing for themselves that the King brothers were back in town.
Colt and Levi didn’t seem to notice, though. They walked toward the truck with single-minded focus, as if the whispers just bounced off them.
“The line is long. You want to look around for a while we grab some food?”
“I’ll wait with you.”
He shook his head. “What can I get for you?”
“I can get it.”
“What can I bring you?” he said in that tone that meant it wasn’t up for discussion. And frankly she was too tired to argue with him.
“A chicken taco and a lemonade.”
He nodded and they went off. She browsed the nearby stalls. A booth selling vintage-inspired posters caught her attention. There were big framed photos of Rita Hayworth, Jayne Mansfield, and Dorothy Dandridge. She would like to hang them in the salon. She would paint the walls and spruce up the floors, but she didn’t want to lose that old-school feeling. Her vision was for the salon to be a classy throwback to a time when women didn’t mind spending a whole day getting pampered. But The Head Shed wasn’t her salon. She was just going to have to wait until Lolly agreed to sell it to her. Or she eventually moved on. She hated to think she was going to have to. She hadn’t brought it up to Lolly yet, but it kind of stung that she’d brought in Colt instead of giving her more control. He had brought in more money yesterday, but that was short-term. She had bigger plans for the place.
“Hey there, Zanna.” She heard Perry’s voice behind her again and she couldn’t believe her luck.
She had noticed the town’s fire truck parked in the lot but chosen not to think anything of it. “I’m surprised to see you here. I thought after the ball last night you’d be taking it easy today. While I was doing her hair Emily told me she wanted to dance all night.”
“We danced.” His eyes passed over her, taking her in as he always did, but today there seemed to be anger in his eyes. “But she’s a lady so I took her home at a decent hour.”
“That’s nice.” She turned away from him, hoping that he would take the hint.
“How long have you known Colt King?” As usual, he never took the hint. “Did you know him before he came back to town?”
“I’m not sure that’s any of your business.”
“You’ll open your legs to him after knowing him a few minutes, but you won’t give me the time of day. I didn’t think sluts were so choosy. You must be doing him for his money.”
She was so stunned that for a moment her mind blanked out. “What did you just say to her?” It turned out she didn’t have to speak up for herself, because Colt was standing there looking mad as hell and Levi was just behind him.
“I think I just heard him call her a name that no man should call a woman,” Levi said, and for the first time since she had known him, his sunny disposition disappeared. His arms hung at his sides, hands balled into fist. She could really see the resemblance between the brothers now. They looked big and tough and pissed.
“You want to repeat that?” Colt stepped closer to Perry, his voice dangerously low.
“It’s okay, Colt.” She tucked her hand into his. “I’ve been called worse.”
He gazed at her, into her eyes for a moment. She didn’t think it was possible but he looked even angrier. “It is not okay. Nobody gets to talk to you like that. Nobody gets to disrespect you. Especially not this prick.” He turned back to Perry. “Apologize or I’m going to knock your fucking head off.”
“Everything all right here, Perry?” asked Angus Whitley, another one of the firefighters, as he stepped forward.
“Mind your business, Angus,” Levi warned. “We don’t have a problem with you.”
“What exactly is the problem?”
“Nothing I can’t handle,” Perry said, showing false bravado. Zanna could see he was uneasy. She could see the little beads of sweat that formed on his forehead.
“Apologize to her,” Colt said again.
“I don’t have anything to be sorry for.”
“Wrong answer.” And before Zanna could blink, Colt had swept Perry’s feet out from beneath him and taken him to the ground. He had the front of Perry’s shirt gripped in his hand and pushed his face close to Perry’s frightened one. “You Andersen boys don’t seem to know how to respect women. If you think what Duke did to your brother was bad, wait until I get finished with you.” Long gone was the polished, controlled man she had come to know in the past few days. There was a little wildness in his eyes and she had a glimpse of the boy he used to be. And it turned her on.
“You’ll go to prison, just like your brother.”
“You think just because your father used to be police chief around here, that means shit to me? You think you still got a judge in your family’s pocket? Think again. You have no idea who I know. I make one call and I can have your body parts spread across deserts in three states.”
“What in the hell is going on here?” Zanna looked up to see that a couple of deputies were standing behind them, as well as a crowd.
“Come on, Colt.” Levi pulled his brother away. “I think you made the weasel squirm enough.”
“It’s nice to see that the King kids haven’t changed.” Perry got up and dusted off his clothes as Colt started to walk away.
“Same pieces of trash they always were!” he shouted for the crowd’s benefit.
Colt stiffened, but he ignored him and kept walking.
“Why don’t you go back to where you came from and take your piece of ass with you? Now that’s she been with you nobody around here will touch her.”
Colt lunged at Perry, his fist just missing his face as Perry jumped back. Levi caught his brother, but Colt wouldn’t be still and Zanna knew if Levi let go he would kill Perry.
“Damn it, Colt. Quit it!” Allen Smith, one of the deputies, grabbed him, helping Levi haul him away. “I’ve got to take you in now.”
“What!” Zanna rushed to him. “Don’t. He didn’t even hit him.”
“He’s trying to kill me! I’m pressing charges. He thinks he’s important, but he isn’t shit in this town.”
“Shut up, Perry!” she snapped at him. “You just better be glad Colt got to you first, because I would have shot you in your manhood and from what I hear, it wouldn’t be much of a loss.”
Her statement earned her some chuckles from the crowd, but she didn’t care, she was more concerned about Colt, who still was being held back and looked ready to kill. “Do you have to take him in?”
“Yes, Zanna.” He looked around the crowd. “We’ve got to.”
“No handcuffs, okay? Please? He was provoked.”
Allen nodded.
“What do you want us to do, Colt?”
“Grab the keys from my pocket and go to the house and get my computer, then go get Duke and meet me at the jail.”
“Your computer?” Levi frowned. “What the hell do you need that for?”
“My contacts are in there.”
“For your lawyer? Just tell me who is he and I’ll call him.”
“I’m not thinking about my lawyer. I’ve got other plans.”
Chapter 8
“Is that all they are asking for it? Buy it. Offer them cash,” Colt said to Cedric, his second in command back at King headquarters. “And did you find out if the bank is privately owned or held by a bigger corporation?”
“It’s a locally owned bank with two branches. The first was opened back in the late 1890s on Main Street. The second is located right outside the casino and has been open for three years.”
“See how much they want for it.”
Colt never thought he would be here. Locked up in a tiny cell because of something one of the Andersen boys did to a woman. He had spent his entire life proving that he was just as good as them, just as smart as them, that the King name wasn’t going to be considered trash anymore. And he had done good, but none of that seemed to matter now that he was here back in Destiny. The Andersen boys still mistreated woman, and the King boys still used their hands to make things right. He was mad as hell at Perry—if they hadn’t taken him away, he probably would have knocked all his ugly teeth out—but he was madder at himself. Mad that he’d lost control. Mad that the wildness he had put away had broken free. He thought his past self was long gone, but the moment he heard Perry speak to Zanna like she was shit he realized that it had been there all along, deeply hidden inside.
He was determined not to let that side rule him. He had worked too damn hard to get where he was to go back. He was just going to have to use his mind to get back at Perry, to get back at them all.
The King name didn’t mean much in Destiny?
It would.
“Sir, I trust your judgment in buying the land there, but I don’t understand acquiring the banks.”
The faint sound of heels clicking on the floor distracted Colt from Cedric’s question. He looked through the bars of his holding cell to see Zanna walking into the tiny police station with his two brothers behind her. “Just see how much they want for it and get back to me as soon as possible.”
“What if they aren’t willing to sell?”
“Everybody has a price.” He hung up then to see Duke grinning from ear to ear, truly looking happy for the first time in a long time.
“I wasn’t sure you had it in you, Colt.” He shook his head. “I knew you could be a ruthless son of a bitch in the office, but I wasn’t sure you had it in you to tear off somebody’s head. I think I’m proud of you.”
“Your pride in me touches my heart,” he said dryly.
“Is that your cell phone?” Levi asked, stepping closer. “They let you have your cell phone in here?”
“Yeah, and he’s been on it the whole time he’s been in there,” Allen said, getting up from his desk. “Colt’s not actually under arrest. He’s just in there till we can be sure he won’t go kill Perry. Personally I would have liked for you to have given him a good ass kicking, but there was a crowd and the new chief is still friends with the old chief and you know how that is.”
“Can you let him out?” Zanna asked, stepping forward. Unlike Duke, she didn’t look amused. He could see the worry in her eyes.
“I’m not supposed to until the chief comes back. He went to talk to Perry. He’s been getting too big for his britches lately.”
“Can you let me in there then?”
Allen shrugged as he reached for his keys. “Why not?”
A few moments later Zanna was walking toward him. She wasn’t wearing black today. It was the first time he had seen her in color since they’d met. The lavender top and dark blue jeans she had on molded to her backside. He’d known there was something different about her this morning; he just couldn’t place it until that moment.
“Why do you look like I ran over your cat?”
“This is my fault. I’m so sorry.”
“Strictly speaking it is, but you don’t need to apologize. I didn’t like the way he spoke to you.”
“Why did you two come back so soon from the taco truck?”
“I saw him head in your direction. I had a feeling. I didn’t like the way he was looking at you in the store yesterday, either.”
She lifted her hand to his hair, absently running her fingers through it. The touch was like a shock to his system. It wasn’t intentional or sexual, and he wasn’t even sure if it was meant to comfort him or herself, but it felt good. He couldn’t recall a time when such a simple touch made him feel so good. Then again he was sure if it was the touch itself that was doing him in, or the woman touching him.
“That sounds pretty possessive.”
He didn’t say anything to that, because it was true. When he saw her with Perry yesterday all he could think was, Mine.
His to have.
His to protect.
“I could have handled him, you know,” she said softly as she still played in his hair. “He’s just an immature asshole with a bruised ego. He would have walked away after he had his say. He wasn’t worth you getting locked up.”
“But you were. No man should ever talk to you like that. You’re worth more. You should be treated better.”
“How do you know? You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know enough to know that if anybody else ever talks to you like that, the same thing will happen. You deserve more than you think you do.”
Tears flashed in her eyes and for a second he was horrified, but his horror melted away when her lips met his and her soft hands came to cup his face. It was a different kind of kiss than before—just as long, just as deep, just as intense as all the others, but it felt … better. It felt like … more. It felt like it consumed him. It was like a drug and if he didn’t get a taste of her mouth every day, he would go through withdrawal.
Fuck.
That was the last thing he needed right now. She would make him lose himself. He never wanted to lose sight of the man he had become.
“Well, holy shit,” he heard Duke say as Zanna broke the kiss.
Zanna rolled her eyes and turned away from him. “Grow up, Duke. Levi, you want to take me to the grocery store so I can pick up something for dinner? Duke can stay here with Colt.”
“I’ll take you, but you’ve got to promise to kiss me like that.”
&n
bsp; She glanced back at Colt, giving him a smile that was shy and luscious and just for him. “Only if you get thrown in jail for me.”
“I’ll pick a fight in the produce section.” She linked her arm through his as they walked away. “Then I can live up to the King legacy and get locked up over a girl.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to say, Get your own girl, Levi. She’s mine.
He didn’t say it.
But he knew by just thinking the thought he was in trouble. And he knew if he was going to survive the rest of the month, he was going to have to stay the hell away from her.
*
Zanna hadn’t seen much of Colt for the past two days. But when she had seen him, he was on the phone issuing orders. From the dribbles of conversation she heard, she knew that he was buying something. Something big. She tried not to think too much about it. He bought out businesses for a living, but whatever it was he was acquiring seemed extremely important. He was in one hell of a bad mood, too. He was never pleasant, but these past couple of days … If looks could freeze, she would be iced over. She didn’t want to think it was because she had kissed him in the police station, in front of everybody. But he had gotten locked up for her because Perry was mad at her. She hadn’t even planned to kiss him, it was just that she couldn’t help herself.
He fought for her.
Bruno used to go after guys who looked at her funny. He fought over her like she was his property, but Colt fought for her. He made her feel respected. He made her feel like she was worth fighting for.
It was a change from most of the men she had encountered in her life. Only her grandfather had treated her well. Her father disappeared when she was six. As for her mother’s boyfriends … One of them thought he could use her, too. It was why she’d left Oklahoma at sixteen and never looked back.
“You liking the color, honey?” she asked Constance, a brand-new client but lifetime resident of Destiny, as she tried to pull her thoughts away from Colt. Constance had walked through the door this morning after seeing some of the work Zanna did on the ladies who went to the firemen’s ball.
The Bad Boy CEO Page 9
