“I almost feel sorry for you, girly. You came to help that piece of shit, and he left you?” Thing One laughed.
Thing Two raked his beady eyes down my body while running a hand through his greasy hair. “She looks nice and ripe. Too skinny for my normal appetite, but still a good ride.” He wet his lips, winking at me. “Is that what you came out here for? I bet you like it rough, huh?”
I had a knife. Elijah always made me carry one, but I didn’t think I could do much damage with it. I didn’t want to get close enough to them. “You guys might want to stop and think about this.”
“Oh, yeah?” Thing One laughed. The sound was sickening. “Or what? Honey, you came out here. Your friend abandoned you to us. Maybe that’s his way of paying me back?” He turned to his friend. “What do you think? Maybe we’ll let Emerson off the hook if we can get a good night from her?”
His friend shrugged, his eyes darkening with lust. “Sounds good to me.”
“Yeah.” The leader started to reach for my arm. “Sounds good to me, too.”
I braced myself. This was really happening. Reaching into my back pocket, I started to pull the knife out when a body shot past me, took hold of Thing One, and slammed him against one of the garbage bins. Someone growled, “You’re dead, asshole,” and another thud as a second body shot past me, too. Thing Two was punched and tackled to the ground.
Luke had Thing One pinned against the bin with a hand to his throat. His features were tightened and strained as he delivered a punch to the guy’s face. Once he let him go, Thing One fell to the ground and tried to block Luke’s blows, but there was no stopping Luke. He hit him again and again in the face, then kicked him in the stomach. The quick assault stunned the guy. He didn’t fight back, just tried to recover and block any more hits.
Emerson was attacking Thing Two. After delivering a couple of kicks of his own, he stopped and looked at Luke. Both guys weren’t fighting back, so Luke and Emerson stepped back toward me, shielding me. Luke pointed to the back door of Rowdy’s. “Em, go and get that garbage. Bring it over for Bri.”
Emerson nodded and went back.
“Bri?” The leader looked up. “Brielle Masterson?”
Luke seared me with a look, then stepped in front of me to completely shield me from the guy’s view. “Yeah, asshole. You think we’re bad? She dated Turner. What do you think he’d do to you?”
The guy coughed some blood out and pushed himself to a sitting position. “We didn’t know, but it doesn’t change the situation. We’re not scared of Turner.”
Luke clipped his head from side to side. “Doesn’t matter. Go near her again, and I’m sure you can test that theory—that you’re not scared of him.”
Emerson came back with both garbage bags. He tossed both into the bin and closed the lid. Ignoring the two guys on the ground, he swept past me and said to Luke, “If she wants in, I’m fine with it.” Then he said to me, “We’re even with this.”
He didn’t wait. He left, heading to the street instead of back to the bar.
Luke said to the guys, “Get lost. I mean it.” Turning, he took hold of my arm and began guiding me back to the bar. Once we were through the back door, he glared at me. “What were you thinking? If you see two guys hiding by the garbage bins, you don’t approach them by yourself.”
Emerson hadn’t told him.
I didn’t even groan. I should’ve known better. Cousin of the Year was not an award he’d be winning. Ever. “I…it’s done. Whatever.”
He cursed under his breath, then went around me, and opened the basement door. Before going down, he glanced back. “Are you really done with Turner?”
I nodded, feeling pinned in place by his piercing gaze.
“Luke?”
A girl waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. Of course, he’d have a girl waiting for him.
He ignored her and said to me, “Elijah deals drugs, and that brings problems. We have enough problems of our own. We don’t need him around, so if you’re really done with him, you can join the band. We have a gig out of town next Thursday. You have until then to decide.”
He didn’t wait for my answer. He went downstairs, took the girl’s hand, and led her back into the basement.
What a perfect ending for the night. I had a sudden urge to start my own bar fight.
The first thing I noticed when I stopped just in front of the porch steps was the blood dripping from the soles of his shoes that were hanging out the door. The second thing I noticed were the dark, tattered jeans. I recognized the shoes, but the jeans sealed it. I knew without a doubt it was Luke.
The bag I’d been carrying fell to the ground, and I couldn’t move.
He was dead.
“Bri!”
I woke with a gasp, then saw a shadow of a large man standing above me and froze. It was him. He’d come back for me. Blind fury kicked in, and I launched at the shadow as I let out a blood-curdling scream. “No!”
The shadow ducked and shoved me back onto the bed. He pinned my arms to my sides and got in my face. I saw his lips move, but couldn’t hear what he was saying in my panic.
He couldn’t be back. He couldn’t. I kept trying to hit him, but he was holding me down.
Braden was yelling, pulling me out of my dream. His voice wafted back and forth. “Bri…Stop...me…”
“What’s wrong with her?”
He looked to whoever had spoken from the doorway, but I couldn’t see. It wasn’t a voice I recognized. He scowled at them. “I told you to wait outside.”
“I need to use the bathroom. You wouldn’t let me use the one at the bar, remember?”
“Shit. Yeah, go and use hers.”
I was still gasping for air, but saw a girl disappear toward the hallway. I heard a door close a second later. When Braden realized I had stopped fighting, he released my arms and stood back. “Holy crap. What was that?”
I shook my head and shoved him aside. Then I sat on the edge of the bed and put my head between my knees. Deep breaths in and out. I hadn’t thought about that day for so long.
“When did you start having nightmares again?”
The toilet flushed from my bathroom. I held out an arm, pointing at the hallway. “Who was that? And what the hell happened to Kelly?”
Thing Two raked his beady eyes down my body while running a hand through his greasy hair. “She looks nice and ripe. Too skinny for my normal appetite, but still a good ride.” He wet his lips, winking at me. “Is that what you came out here for? I bet you like it rough, huh?”
I had a knife. Elijah always made me carry one, but I didn’t think I could do much damage with it. I didn’t want to get close enough to them. “You guys might want to stop and think about this.”
“Oh, yeah?” Thing One laughed. The sound was sickening. “Or what? Honey, you came out here. Your friend abandoned you to us. Maybe that’s his way of paying me back?” He turned to his friend. “What do you think? Maybe we’ll let Emerson off the hook if we can get a good night from her?”
His friend shrugged, his eyes darkening with lust. “Sounds good to me.”
“Yeah.” The leader started to reach for my arm. “Sounds good to me, too.”
I braced myself. This was really happening. Reaching into my back pocket, I started to pull the knife out when a body shot past me, took hold of Thing One, and slammed him against one of the garbage bins. Someone growled, “You’re dead, asshole,” and another thud as a second body shot past me, too. Thing Two was punched and tackled to the ground.
Luke had Thing One pinned against the bin with a hand to his throat. His features were tightened and strained as he delivered a punch to the guy’s face. Once he let him go, Thing One fell to the ground and tried to block Luke’s blows, but there was no stopping Luke. He hit him again and again in the face, then kicked him in the stomach. The quick assault stunned the guy. He didn’t fight back, just tried to recover and block any more hits.
Emerson was attacking Thing Two. After delivering a couple of kicks of his own, he stopped and looked at Luke. Both guys weren’t fighting back, so Luke and Emerson stepped back toward me, shielding me. Luke pointed to the back door of Rowdy’s. “Em, go and get that garbage. Bring it over for Bri.”
Emerson nodded and went back.
“Bri?” The leader looked up. “Brielle Masterson?”
Luke seared me with a look, then stepped in front of me to completely shield me from the guy’s view. “Yeah, asshole. You think we’re bad? She dated Turner. What do you think he’d do to you?”
The guy coughed some blood out and pushed himself to a sitting position. “We didn’t know, but it doesn’t change the situation. We’re not scared of Turner.”
Luke clipped his head from side to side. “Doesn’t matter. Go near her again, and I’m sure you can test that theory—that you’re not scared of him.”
Emerson came back with both garbage bags. He tossed both into the bin and closed the lid. Ignoring the two guys on the ground, he swept past me and said to Luke, “If she wants in, I’m fine with it.” Then he said to me, “We’re even with this.”
He didn’t wait. He left, heading to the street instead of back to the bar.
Luke said to the guys, “Get lost. I mean it.” Turning, he took hold of my arm and began guiding me back to the bar. Once we were through the back door, he glared at me. “What were you thinking? If you see two guys hiding by the garbage bins, you don’t approach them by yourself.”
Emerson hadn’t told him.
I didn’t even groan. I should’ve known better. Cousin of the Year was not an award he’d be winning. Ever. “I…it’s done. Whatever.”
He cursed under his breath, then went around me, and opened the basement door. Before going down, he glanced back. “Are you really done with Turner?”
I nodded, feeling pinned in place by his piercing gaze.
“Luke?”
A girl waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. Of course, he’d have a girl waiting for him.
He ignored her and said to me, “Elijah deals drugs, and that brings problems. We have enough problems of our own. We don’t need him around, so if you’re really done with him, you can join the band. We have a gig out of town next Thursday. You have until then to decide.”
He didn’t wait for my answer. He went downstairs, took the girl’s hand, and led her back into the basement.
What a perfect ending for the night. I had a sudden urge to start my own bar fight.
The first thing I noticed when I stopped just in front of the porch steps was the blood dripping from the soles of his shoes that were hanging out the door. The second thing I noticed were the dark, tattered jeans. I recognized the shoes, but the jeans sealed it. I knew without a doubt it was Luke.
The bag I’d been carrying fell to the ground, and I couldn’t move.
He was dead.
“Bri!”
I woke with a gasp, then saw a shadow of a large man standing above me and froze. It was him. He’d come back for me. Blind fury kicked in, and I launched at the shadow as I let out a blood-curdling scream. “No!”
The shadow ducked and shoved me back onto the bed. He pinned my arms to my sides and got in my face. I saw his lips move, but couldn’t hear what he was saying in my panic.
He couldn’t be back. He couldn’t. I kept trying to hit him, but he was holding me down.
Braden was yelling, pulling me out of my dream. His voice wafted back and forth. “Bri…Stop...me…”
“What’s wrong with her?”
He looked to whoever had spoken from the doorway, but I couldn’t see. It wasn’t a voice I recognized. He scowled at them. “I told you to wait outside.”
“I need to use the bathroom. You wouldn’t let me use the one at the bar, remember?”
“Shit. Yeah, go and use hers.”
I was still gasping for air, but saw a girl disappear toward the hallway. I heard a door close a second later. When Braden realized I had stopped fighting, he released my arms and stood back. “Holy crap. What was that?”
I shook my head and shoved him aside. Then I sat on the edge of the bed and put my head between my knees. Deep breaths in and out. I hadn’t thought about that day for so long.
“When did you start having nightmares again?”
The toilet flushed from my bathroom. I held out an arm, pointing at the hallway. “Who was that? And what the hell happened to Kelly?”
