Out of the Darkness: a Hope Valley novel

by Prince, Jessica

  “What exactly are you ta-da-ing?” Marco asked, the corner of his mouth tugging up in a sexy smirk. “An ugly pink box?”

  I shot him a fake scowl and declared, “It’s not an ugly pink box. It’s cute. And it’s what’s inside the box I’m ta-da-ing.” I set the box down and flipped open the lid, pulling out the cake.

  “Is that a birthday cake?” Hunter asked in confusion.

  “Yep. West’s birthday was a couple days ago, so I got a cake,” I answered as I began cutting the round white cake with dark green piping into equal slices.

  Linc looked at me from where he sat at the head of the table. “Uh, sweetheart, we aren’t really a birthday celebratin’ kinda crew.”

  “Wrong. You didn’t used to be the birthday celebrating kind of crew. Now you are because Rox and I like it, and more importantly, we want cake.”

  “Rox has been here for years, and she’s never complained,” he informed me.

  I quit slicing and braced my hands on my hips while giving my boss a look that dared him to screw with me. “Yeah, well now she’s got another member of the sisterhood at her back, and we like cake. So suck it up, buttercup.” I turned to West and shot him a smile, cheering, “Happy Birthday, West!”

  The birthday boy hit me with a hot smile that made my knees quiver. Jeez, all these men were something else. “Thanks, honey.”

  “Oh, hell yeah!” Cord exclaimed, coming into the conference room and moving toward the pieces of cake I’d already plated. “Is that from Sugar and Spice? That bakery’s the shit.”

  “That it is. Marble cake with a coffee-infused, chocolate ganache filling.”

  Hunter spoke up again. “Damn, even I have to admit that sounds good.” He looked to me and winked. “This birthday thing might not be so bad after all. Just a heads-up, mine’s in April.”

  I returned his wink. “Already have it on my calendar, handsome.”

  “For fuck’s sake,” Xander grunted from the other end of the table. “Can we stop talkin’ about birthdays and maybe do some goddamn work?”

  I did my best to shoot fireballs from my eyes as I stomped over and dropped a plate in front of him with a loud plop. “Oh, for crying out loud, quit whining and eat your damn cake.”

  He looked at the cake like it personally offended him before turning that same expression to me and grumbling, “I don’t eat cake.”

  “Then sit there and stare at it. But do it quietly so your pissy mood doesn’t bother the rest of us.”

  “Holy shit.” At Marco’s humor-filled voice, my attention shifted and I noticed everyone staring at us in shock. “She’s really not scared of him in the slightest, is she?”

  “My girl’s tough,” Roxanne added with pride in her voice and a mouth full of cake.

  I rolled my eyes and took one of the empty seats around the long conference table. “I grew up surrounded by rough bikers until I was sixteen. To most folks, my dad and all his buddies looked terrifying. Not much scares me.” I glanced back to Xander. “Especially jerkoffs who don’t have any manners.”

  Xander’s full, gorgeous lips parted to issue an insult in return when Linc spoke up and shut the ensuing fight down. “All right, enough. Can you two return to your corners so we can get shit done without any bloodshed?”

  As hard as it was, I managed to bite my tongue and keep quiet as Linc asked for the lowdown from each guy on the cases they were working. After a while I started to get a little bored, and my mind began to drift, turning to one of the fantasies I’d created over the past few days. In this one, Xander was standing in the middle of the street with a look of terror on his face as I mowed him down with my car.

  I vaguely heard the sound of Linc’s voice over Fantasy Sage’s diabolical laughter as he said, “Call came in yesterday. Wife wants to set up a track-and-trap for her husband. Who’s up next?”

  At the muttered grumblings around the table, I forced myself out of the daydream and tuned back in to the conversation.

  “Jesus, not another one,” West complained.

  “What’s a track-and-trap?” I asked, looking around the table with curiosity.

  It was Bryce who answered. “Spouse comes in, suspectin’ their partner of cheating, and wants us to catch ’em in the act.”

  I instantly perked up, sitting straighter in my seat. “That sounds awesome.”

  “It’s not,” another one of the guys, Dalton, cut in. “Usually means we spend days stakin’ out, which is boring as hell. Then, if we get a shot, takin’ pictures of the target in the act, which means we’re stuck watchin’, and that shit’s almost always gross as hell or twisted as fuck.”

  My nose scrunched at the thought of seeing something gross or twisted, but I wasn’t that easily deterred. Turning back to Linc, I asked, “Well, what if I do this one?”

  He looked at me with bemusement marring his handsome face. “You wanna take pictures of people fuckin’?”

  I felt my top lip curl. “Hey, I’m all about live and let live, in all the forms that that comes in, but that’d be a hard no on taking pics of people pre/mid/and post coital. What I’m suggesting is me being the bait? I go in wearing a wire or something, honey trap the cheating SOB, if he is in fact a cheating SOB, that way you guys get what you need for the wife. Then I’ll make up some excuse to bail out before sex can even enter the equation. It’s a win-win,” I finished enthusiastically, my excitement growing the more I thought about it.

  “And if your excuse doesn’t work?”

  I looked to Trent who’d just spoken, and declared, “It’ll work.”

  “You can’t be sure of that.”

  Pinching my face into an expression of pain, I placed my hands low on my belly and whined, “Oh god, I just started my period. It feels like someone’s tap dancing on my uterus.” Trent’s face scrunched up in revulsion while the rest of the guys groaned.

  “Works every time,” Roxanne muttered from beside me, lifting her hand so I could give her a high-five.

  “And,” I continued, “if that doesn’t work, I could just happen to eat some bad shellfish beforehand. No dude can keep it stiff with a woman making retching sounds from the bathroom.”

  Linc looked at me in deep contemplation for several seconds. “You know, that could actually work.”

  “Jesus,” Xander barked at the same time I let out an eager squeak and bounced in my chair. “You can’t be fuckin’ serious right now. She’s totally green. Hell, she’s not even licensed.” His attention turned to me, those black eyes narrowing menacingly. “This isn’t a game, little girl. I’m tellin’ you now, whatever bullshit you cooked up in your head based on what you’ve seen on TV is way off base. This shit can be dangerous. It takes skill, patience, and concentration.”

  I narrowed my eyes right back, placing my palms on the table and leaning in. “If I can work here for five days and not murder you, I can do anything.”

  “She’s got you there, brother,” Bryce teased, making the other guys laugh.

  “I can do this,” I said, turning my focus back to Linc. “I’m good under pressure, I can take direction, and I don’t get flustered easily.”

  “You know, this’ll all be for nothin’ if she can’t catch the mark’s eye,” Xander said, giving me a snide look from across the table.

  “I’ve got a vagina, so I’m already in,” I said dryly. “Lie to yourself all you want, but for most guys, that’s all it takes. Add in a pushup bra, and it’s over.”

  “Anyone else got a problem with sendin’ Sage in as a honey trap?” Linc asked the table. As I suspected, no one but Xander had an issue. “Then it’s settled. I’ll make the call and set up a meeting for next week so we can get the ball rollin’.” I glanced back across the table and sneered, flipping Xander the bird as discreetly as possible for good measure.

  Suck on that, douche nozzle.

  But Linc wasn’t done. “Hunter, Xander, I want you to take Sage’s back on this one. We’ll discuss the details next week after we meet with the client.�
�

  Well shit.

  Chapter Six

  Sage

  After the meeting, I scrambled to my office and put in a call to Danika, asking if she wanted to meet up for drinks. I’d heard The Tap Room had a live band playing, and I was in the mood to celebrate.

  Jerkface Xander Caine wasn’t going to ruin my mood. I was living in a terrific town, I was making friends, I had a job I totally dug so far, and bonus, I was getting to work one of the cases with my own “team” and everything.

  After years of swallowing shit, things were finally looking up, and I had every intention of basking in that for as long as it lasted.

  Hell, I was riding so high even the missed calls I had on my cell from John couldn’t bring my down. I deleted them like all the rest and went about my day, doing what I’d been doing for months: pretending he didn’t exist.

  I went home and changed from Working Sage into Chilling-at-the-Bar Sage, trading in my work jeans for a different pair with a high waist and a ton of strategically placed rips on the thighs and knees. I coupled them with a pair of fishnet stockings you could see through the wide tears.

  My long-sleeved top fit tight and hung off both shoulders, making a strapless bra necessary, and the hem hit about an inch from the waistband of my pants, showing a tiny bit of skin at my belly.

  I finished the outfit off with my signature motorcycle boots and a ton of silver and leather on my wrists, choosing to keep my neck and ears bare.

  I’d hit the roots of my hair with a volumizing spray, touched up my makeup, and headed out the door.

  Danika was already at the bar by the time I got there, having commandeered a table by the dance floor. Spotting me the moment I came through the doors, she waved me over and stood when I got close.

  “I’m so glad you called,” she said, pulling me into a quick hug. “I needed a night out.”

  We separated and took our seats. “Then it was a stroke of good fortune all around, because tonight we’re celebrating, and the first round’s on me.”

  “No way in hell I’m turning that down, but what exactly are we celebrating?”

  I told her about the meeting earlier that day and how I was going to get out from behind the desk—for one day at least—and work an actual case. As I talked, a waitress wearing an awesome shirt that read “I’d Tap That All Day” came by to take our drink order.

  “That’s so cool!” Danika exclaimed when I finished my story. “You’re gonna be like a spy, babe. Going undercover to take a bad guy down.”

  “Well, in a way. But yeah, I’m stoked.”

  Our drinks were placed on the table as I heard someone call my name from behind me. “Sage?”

  I turned to see Eden coming in my direction and smiled brightly. “Hey, girl. Twice in one day, lucky coincidence.”

  “Definitely. Now I can introduce you to my girls.” She motioned back to the bevy of gorgeous women standing close behind her. “Guys, this is Sage. The one who just started working at Alpha Omega.”

  I gave them a big wave. “Hey, there.”

  The tall, stunning blonde with killer long legs let her mouth drop open. “No way! This is her? But she’s so little and cute!”

  My head tilted to the side in confusion. “Um, I’m not sure what’s happening, but . . . thanks?”

  Eden let out a little laugh. “This is Gypsy. I told her about you and Xander going head to head, specifically the Paul Bunyan remark. She thought it was hilarious.”

  “Ah, now it makes sense.” I turned back to Gypsy and smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Let’s get the introductions out of the way so we can get on with our night,” Eden continued, waving to the rest of her friends. “Like I said, this is Gypsy. She’s engaged to Marco. The one with the black hair is Rory. She’s with Cord, and this is her place.”

  I turned to the pretty woman dressed like a badass rocker hippy. “So I’m taking it the shirts the waitresses are wearing were your idea?”

  She laughed and nodded. “Yeah. It was my idea, but they help me come up with some of the sayings.”

  “Smart marketing, sister.”

  Eden pointed next to the redheaded woman with amazing teal eyes and a noticeable baby bump and the brunette, who rounded out her crew. “And this is Nona and Tempie. They’re both with cops who are just as hotheaded as the guys you work with, so they get it.”

  “Nice to meet you all. You guys know Dani?” I asked, introducing my friend even though I was sure they already knew her. As it turned out, they did, seeing as she ran the best coffee shop in the world.

  After introductions were done and I invited them to hang around, they grabbed the empty table next to ours and joined us.

  “So, is this a girls’ night out to get a break from the testosterone overload I can only imagine you guys deal with at home?”

  “In a way,” Gypsy answered, tilting her head toward the bar. I looked over and saw Linc, Cord, Marco, Bryce, and West hanging at the bar with two other insanely hot guys I didn’t recognize but assumed belonged to Tempie and Nona. “We tend to get a little rowdy when we drink, so they tag along to make sure we don’t get into trouble, but they keep their distance.”

  Nona patted her pregnant belly affectionately. “For the time being, I’m here to live vicariously through these four.”

  “Please,” Tempie said with a roll of her eyes. “Drinking or not, you can still get into all kinds of trouble.”

  Lifting my glass in the air, I nodded to Nona and declared, “My kind of woman.” I let my attention wander back toward the bar, curiosity tugging at me and making me ask, “Xander didn’t want to come out with the guys?”

  “He doesn’t come out with us often,” Gypsy replied with a shrug. “I asked Marco about it once; he said as far as he knew, Xander likes to hit up Rebels instead of here.”

  “Rebels?”

  “Another bar outside of town,” Rory answered. “Totally different scene.”

  Not wanting to come off like I was digging for information on the Bearded Bastard, I let the conversation drop. But I still found myself thinking back to him. Whether I wanted to or not, I couldn’t help but wonder what a typical Friday night in the life of Xander Caine looked like.

  The waitress reappeared a short while later, chatting with Rory before taking everyone else’s orders. When she started to turn away I reached out and grabbed her arm.

  “Hey. You see that really tall hot guy at the bar?”

  She glanced over her shoulder before turning back to me with a raised brow. “Which one?”

  “The one with the black hair, lightly tanned skin, and pale green eyes?”

  She looked back over, a slow smile creeping across his face. “Oh, yeah. I see him all right.”

  “Do me a favor, will you? Put our drinks on his tab. When he closes out, tell him Sage said thanks.”

  I gave her a wink and she took off, laughing as she moved to the bar.

  “Oh, honey,” Tempie said, pulling my attention her way, “I like you.”

  Lifting my beer to my lips, I took a long, soothing sip before saying, “Just wait ’til I have a few more of these in me. Then it’ll be love.”

  * * *

  I wasn’t buzzed or drunk, but I was feeling pretty damn good as Dani, Gypsy, and I danced to the band’s kick-ass cover of Foghat’s “Slow Ride”.

  The dance-a-thon started when “Carry On, Wayward Son” started and all my cool flew out the window. I grabbed hands and dragged bodies to the dance floor. As one song turned into another, Eden, Tempie, and Rory eventually bowed out. Nona stayed benched, claiming if she tried to dance, she’d likely pee herself. So that left me with Dani and Gypsy.

  I used to love to dance. I could go all night, easily. But when John and I got together, he said he couldn’t stand the way other men watched me, so, stupidly thinking his jealousy was sweet, I’d stopped.

  But now, with these awesome women and this great music, I felt like I’d just reclaimed another part of mysel
f I’d allowed him to take away, bringing me that much closer to whole.

  I could’ve stayed on that floor until the bar closed down, but the band had to take a break, so I let Dani and my newest of five new friends, Gypsy, lead me back to our tables.

  “Check it out, ladies,” I heard a snide, nasally voice speak as we passed a table of four women. “Looks like biker trash has moved to town. There goes the neighborhood.”

  I stopped and turned slowly to look at who’d just spoken those hateful words. What I saw when I took in the woman who’d just insulted me—not knowing a damn thing about me—was a pathetic, weak little girl who threw her ugliness around because her shitty life held so little to be desired that she had to get her kicks somewhere. In other words, she was a nobody. And by the way her friends snickered at her uninspired insult, they were just as bad as her.

  “Careful, Sue Ellen,” Dani said, her tone laced with warning. “Not sure Lincoln Sheppard would take too kindly to you insulting one of his own.”

  Her eyes went big at that, and I turned to Dani to ask, “What’s Linc got to do with her?”

  It was Gypsy who answered. “She wasn’t happy when he didn’t want a repeat of the one and only time they ever hooked up. When he made a move on Eden about a second after she came to town, Sue Ellen here didn’t like it too much. She and her friend tried giving Eden shit, and he put a stop to that so fast heads spun.”

  “Ah,” I said, a smile cracking my face. “I gotcha. Soft, sweet and warm trumped frigid bitch. Makes sense.”

  “Excuse me?” Sue Ellen snapped, her eyes narrowing into hateful slits.

  “What about that didn’t you get?” I asked, turning back to her and cocking my head. “The first time you saw me in your life was exactly thirty seconds ago, and the very first words out of your mouth were an insule. That makes you a cold, nasty bitch.” I leaned in closer. “Frigid. My guess, Linc’s not the first dude who didn’t come back for seconds, and instead of seeing that you’re the problem and doing something to remedy that, you turn all that self-loathing outward and put it on everyone else. You wanna call me biker trash to your friends who are just as lame as you? Go for it. In the meantime, I’ll sit back and enjoy the fact I’ve surrounded myself with good, decent people, and that every guy I’ve ever been with has come back begging for more.”