Fierce-Ella (The Fierce Five Series Book 5)

by Natalie Ann

  “Sweetie, we’ve met. You got me drunk one night.”

  Ella grinned and looked at him. He winked at her. “Did you both get drunk that night? I might have wanted to see that,” Travis said.

  “No way. You wouldn’t. I never mixed wine and beer again after that night,” his mother said.

  Before he could say anything else, his father was up and moving closer, then whispering, “Keeping talking about it. It’s a true memory.”

  Travis felt chills on his arms but played along like his father said. Maybe he’d see a piece of his mother again that he’d been missing for so long.

  “Mixing drinks is never a good idea,” he said. “Do you remember why you were doing that?”

  His mother grinned, then looked at his father and for a moment it seemed as if she remembered him. “We were celebrating something, but I’m not sure what it was.”

  “We opened up our own business,” his father said. “Celebrating the freedom to be our own bosses.”

  His mother didn’t acknowledge that statement. “We closed the bar down that night, little lady. Don’t you remember that? You locked the doors up after the last person left and the four of us kept drinking.”

  Ella stiffened next to him. “What?” Travis asked her.

  She shook her head, looked at his mother. “Do you remember my name?” she asked softly.

  His father’s eyes were starting to fill a little. “Hmm. I’m sorry. I don’t. I wish I did. But I remember that night and how much fun we had.”

  His mother seemed to tire after that and though he never got to formally introduce Ella as his girlfriend, Travis was happy that his mother seemed so thrilled and excited over a memory he’d never even known. He’d have to ask his father another day.

  “We should probably go now,” he said to Ella.

  “It was nice seeing you again, Ken. Nice to see you again, Carol,” Ella said, still playing a role.

  They were just to the doorway when he heard his mother say, “Jolene.”

  Now I Know

  “How is that possible?” Travis asked when they were in his truck.

  “What?” Ella asked. When Carol started talking about a memory, Ella knew she was just going to go along with it. Then when more details came out, she remembered her mother saying over the years how her father and mother would often close the bar down and have some drinks with other couples. With friends of theirs. A few times they’d had a lot to drink and had to call taxis for people while her parents just climbed the stairs to their apartment above the bar.

  “You knew what she was saying. You had to have known,” he argued.

  “It just sounded like stories I’ve heard before. My parents would do that often with people. They must have with your parents at one point. Do you really think she remembered my mother?”

  “You look a lot like your mother. The timing is right. My guess is maybe your mother was around the same as you age wise when this all happened. I’ll have to check with my father later. Thank you.”

  “Why are you thanking me?”

  “Because that’s the silliest I’ve seen her in a long time and my father needed it. I could see it in his eyes. That’s why he goes day in and day out. Just waiting for those glimpses that he knows are there.”

  Ella sniffled a little. She couldn’t remember ever being this emotional in her life. “Isn’t that what love is all about? Didn’t you say that to me once?”

  “I did. And you said you’ve never felt it and didn’t know.”

  “Well, now I know,” she said.

  ***

  That was two weeks ago and Ella hadn’t once said another word about love or feelings. Of course neither had he.

  It was a start, but not enough for either of them to go any further. Almost like the gun going off for a relay too fast, then firing again and pulling them all back for the false start. Talk about frustrating.

  But here he was at Fierce on a Saturday night for an event. They had a few a year where bands were brought in, but he’d never shown up once. He’d kept his work separate from theirs for fear of seeing Ella on off hours.

  Seeing her with another man when he’d been secretly hoping to have her for himself.

  Now that he did have her, he wasn’t going to miss it for anything. He was going to put his arm around her and let all know that she was taken.

  He was sitting at the end of the bar, Ella was walking around and surprisingly she had jeans on and one of the Fierce sweaters that he’d seen in a drawer full of other Fierce clothing he’d yet to see her wear.

  All her brothers were on hand too, along with their significant others with the exception of Jessica. Though the twins were old enough to stay with Jolene and Gavin, Jessica wasn’t ready to give them up for a night.

  Instead Jolene and Gavin were here too, somewhere walking around and mingling.

  Ella and he had had dinner with Cade, Alex, and Mason while Brody, Aimee, Nic, and Aiden were working.

  The brothers were all cool with him now it seemed, at least he was assuming that.

  They spent more time picking on Ella and dishing the dirt on all her faults than they did anything else.

  Ella gave it back just as good and he could see why she was as tough as she was growing up. She really had no other choice.

  “Do you want another beer?” Aimee asked him when she made her way to the end of the bar. “The band will be setting up in a few minutes and it’s going to get crazy.”

  He saw how busy it was already. The bar was jam-packed, the restaurant had a line of people waiting to get in also, just sitting in a small area enjoying some drinks. The Fierces sure knew how to make waiting enjoyable, which was saying something.

  “I’ll take another,” he said, pushing his glass toward her.

  “Do you want another Ella?” Aimee asked.

  “If her brothers are to be believed, one of her is enough,” he said back, grinning. “I’ll take the Fierce Fire this time.”

  “Coming right up,” Aimee said.

  “How many more people will fit in here?” he asked, wondering if it was going to end up being standing room only for the country band lined up to play.

  “Not many more. The hostess will start to turn people away. We make sure we stick to all the fire codes and such. There’s a head count going right now.”

  “How’s that done?” he asked, picking the beer up and looking around for Ella. She’d been talking to a few people at the other end of the bar, but he’d lost sight of her in the crowd now. He didn’t want to be clingy or possessive, he just wanted to see her.

  Have his gaze meet with hers. Watch her slow smile start at her lips until it reached her eyes telling him he might be in for a treat later tonight.

  “The hostess marks it in the computer as someone comes in and it auto-tallies when people leave. If they leave on a night like this, which doesn’t happen often.”

  “So the food service slows down then?” he asked, looking around at most people eating while they waited for the music. He assumed they’d be staying.

  “Not really. Some people only stay for an hour or so and others come in. Those that stay the whole time get snacks and drinks. The restaurant does rotate though. Aiden doesn’t allow anyone to sit in there to listen to the music. They turn those tables over fast.”

  Brody made his way down to the bar. “We’ve got a good system here. We don’t like it disrupted.”

  Brody always seemed to know what was going on at all times. Travis could appreciate that trait. “A shot at me or for me?”

  “You decide,” Brody said, moving back to the other end.

  “Ignore, Brody,” Aimee said. “He really likes you and that’s saying a lot. My guess is these boys never thought they’d like any man Ella brought home.”

  “Thanks, I think.”

  Aimee turned her head, looked around and then leaned in. “It’s hard fitting in in this group, but once you’re accepted you’re family through and through. I like you too, T
ravis.”

  Yeah, it was a point for him, not against him for sure.

  Ella made her way over a few minutes later, then sat next to him, picking his beer up and taking a swig. “Thanks for saving my seat,” she said.

  “I had to fight a few chicks off for it. Actually one just wanted my number and then she left.”

  “It had better have been without your number,” she said, those eyes not smiling now. More like narrowing with a torch behind them that had him laughing.

  “You’re too easy sometimes,” Travis said, running his fingers down her arm.

  “Ella.” Travis watched as she turned her head to some man that called her name. “I thought that was you.”

  “Tyler,” she said, and her voice went from soft and warm to hard and frigid in a split second. This was the Ella that froze him out for years coming to the surface for all to see. The control she always had seemed to have slipped for the moment. He shifted his stance to get a better angle of what was going on.

  The guy was tall, but maybe an inch or so shorter than Travis. He might have been fit at one point in his life, though now had a slouch and belly to match his lazy stance.

  “I haven’t seen you in years. I come in here often, but then again I never expected you’d work for the family business.” The guy’s eyes were traveling the length of Ella’s body longer than Travis cared for. “You look good.”

  “I’ve worked here since college. You knew that all along,” she said with a touch of icy mist escaping her lips.

  “Yeah, but I never figured you’d be able to stand to be around your brothers like this. What was the name of the one that went to Duke with us? Cade? What an ass.”

  College. He slid his arm around Ella’s waist to remind her he was standing right there. He wanted to jump in and say something but was trying not to be the Neanderthal she often thought he was prior to their dating.

  “Tyler Scott, this is my boyfriend, Travis McKinley. Travis, Tyler and I went to college together.”

  Tyler laughed. “Boyfriend? Well, I guess by the looks of you her brothers might back off. I can’t tell you what a joke it was in college that no guy could get near Ella. Half didn’t even want to try once they found out how she had four brothers that were like hawks circling over her at all times.”

  Travis grunted. “I guess it worked in my favor then. Maybe they were just protecting her from men who weren’t good enough for her.”

  Tyler laughed. “I doubt it. It’s more like no one was allowed to touch the princess. More power to you though. I wouldn’t want to deal with it.”

  Travis was ready to open his mouth when Brody showed up at the end of the bar with Cade next to him. “Well, if it isn’t the dumb jock Tyler come to say hi. Does Ella need to tutor you on your job like she did half your business classes so you could keep your football scholarship?” Cade said.

  Tyler turned to face Brody and Cade. “You haven’t changed a bit, Cade. I almost felt bad for you back then, Ella, but I think you enjoyed being watched over like that.”

  Travis stood up ready to take care of the situation on his own, but Tyler was wise enough to walk away. “Who the hell was that?” he asked Ella.

  Cade answered. “Some asshole jock that was failing half his classes and needed to be tutored so he didn’t get kicked off the football team.”

  “He was in a few of my classes and the teacher asked me to help him out. Nothing more than that,” she said. The ice was melting from her eyes, but he knew it was forced.

  Until Travis

  Just when she thought it was going to be a great night, some dick from her past has to show up and remind her why she hated college so much.

  Why she hated her life back then and wanted to be so different.

  Why she never let her guard down or took a risk ever again. That is until Travis.

  Now she was standing here with not only Cade and Brody staring at her but her boyfriend too. Everyone was looking for an explanation to what they’d just witnessed and what caused the change in her demeanor. Because as much as she could control things, she’d forgotten to just now.

  She’d seen red from her past and brought it to her present. She let Tyler remind her that for as strong as she’d been in her life, she’d dropped her shield and became weak.

  “I did him a favor,” she said, “by getting him a couple of C’s so he could finish the season out. He was an ass and I knew it, but I was used to dealing with Brody and Cade so I could handle him no problem.”

  Cade smirked at her and then laughed. Travis didn’t look like he was buying anything she was selling. Maybe she should drag him up to her office and start to undress for him. That might distract him enough.

  Brody looked at her a full thirty seconds longer, then nodded his head and moved back to the other end of the bar. He wasn’t buying it either, but he knew enough to keep his lips sealed for once and she’d have to thank him for it later. Cade on the other hand must be clueless because he never had a problem running his mouth.

  “The music is going to start soon,” she said, trying to change the topic. “I’m not sure I’ve heard this band before, but I like country music.”

  Travis was doing his best Brody impression and just eying her hard. She tilted her head to the side and gave him a wink. He sighed and then wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her in tight like he knew she needed it. “I’m game for any music.” He leaned down and kissed her on the lips quickly. “Do I need to hunt that bastard down and have some words with him?”

  She stiffened. “Please, Travis. I tutored him for a semester, it’s not a big deal. Like I said, I can hold my own.”

  That was the last thing she needed or even wanted. Her boyfriend defending her honor—and as far as Travis knew there wasn’t anything to defend. Even having words with someone from her past would only set her off.

  She was sick of being set off all the time.

  ***

  But a few days later Travis was doing a search on Tyler Scott. Anything he could find he was going to. If that meant turning over every stone in a muddy field until he sank down to his thighs, then he’d do that too because he didn’t believe a word Ella had said the other night.

  Something had gone on between Tyler and Ella and it seemed no one knew. She was good at keeping things private and she’d obviously done such an excellent job of it that neither of her brothers questioned it.

  Brody had wanted to, Travis had seen that, but he held his tongue. Cade just shrugged it off and let it go. Since Cade was at the same college you’d think he’d know if anything had gone on.

  It didn’t take long for Travis to see that Tyler Scott had been a receiver for the Blue Devils until an injury his senior year had cut his time short. There were a few articles that he was heading to the draft but thanks to blowing his knee out, not many NFL teams wanted to take a chance on him.

  Some more articles showed Tyler trying out as a walk on and making it to the practice squad but nothing else.

  Now he was working as a car salesman for a local BMW dealership. Might be time for a new car.

  So the next day he’d taken himself car shopping when he knew Tyler would be working. He walked around the lot for a good twenty minutes. Two other salesmen approached him before the one he was looking for came out. Probably thought Travis was going to be a hard sell and Tyler was ready to give him the full spiel and prove to his buddies who the man of the place was.

  “So you’re interested in this baby right here?” Tyler started to say.

  Travis turned and looked the guy over in full daylight. He looked better in the dim lights of the bar. Now he wasn’t just slumped over with a twenty-pound gut filling out his waist, but he was wearing pricey jeans and a dealership shirt with a little pin on it that stated he was the salesman of the year last year. Well, good for him.

  “What can you tell me about it?” he asked.

  Tyler looked at him hard, but never said a word about meeting him prior. Amazing how little at
tention people pay to their surroundings when they’re laser focused on one thing. Obviously his goal had been to unnerve Ella and he’d succeeded. But his success that night might cost him now.

  “The X4 is a nice sporty activity coupe. Three hundred and fifty-five horsepower bringing you zero to sixty in under five seconds.”

  “Sweet,” Travis said, wondering why the douche didn’t comment on the fact Travis would barely be able to squeeze his body into the car if he wanted to. Nor would he have any need to go that fast that quickly. Guess some men just wanted the symbol to show off more than anything else.

  “It’s priced just under sixty,” Tyler said, “but we’ve got some specials going on. What are you looking to spend?”

  Sixty thousand for a windup toy that he’d break his legs in if he ever got into a fender bender. No thank you.

  “Give me your best sell,” Travis said, crossing his arms and sending his fiercest hardman stare.

  Tyler paused. “Do I know you? You look familiar to me.”

  Must have been the stare that triggered the memory. “We met recently,” Travis said. He wasn’t out to deceive the man. He was going to see where the conversation went though.

  The light bulb must have gone off in Tyler’s head because he huffed out a laugh. “Ella sent you to me for a car. I figured she was still pissed off at me rather than giving me some business.”

  What a colossal dick. This guy was so full of himself. “Not exactly.”

  “Then she sent you here to warn me off like her brothers.” Tyler laughed. “Dude, I want nothing to do with her now any more than I did years ago. Anyone that wants to tackle the headache of her family and those idiot brothers of hers...more power to them. I told her that and didn’t give a shit if it upset her.”

  “Why exactly did you tell her that?” Travis asked.

  “Listen, dude. If you aren’t interested in a car, then we’ve got nothing more to say to each other.”

  “Fine, you can listen. You went into the bar the other night to mess with her head. You and I both know that.”