Silverbow (13 page)

“Checking in on Yates,” I replied and listened to him take a long breath.

“Someone is angry. I smell it all over you. It’s not just me either,” he said reading me like a book. I finally cut my eyes at him and shook my head.

“Greyden and I split up. He has been fucking the bar wench.” Murphy laughed out loud and howled with amusement.

“And here you thought you were the only bad guy in the relationship.” He quieted down and bit his lower lip as he looked me over, “It’s a damn shame that he ruined what he had.” I sneered and began rolling my window up. He didn’t want me either so why was he going to give me an ear load of bullshit about me being a great woman and all? Before my window was up, he pulled the door open which yanked the knob from my hand.

“What do you want, Murphy,” I asked and tossed my hands up impatiently. “You just told me that you don’t want me. So let me go. I have no time for this fucking tug-of-war crap with you.”

“I never said I don’t want you, D. I want you more than you will ever know. If I have you, I have to leave. If I have to go on without you, I have to leave. So which is better? I’d rather not have that attachment if I have to leave regardless of which evil I choose,” he tried to explain. I didn’t understand. He was talking in riddles to me and I sat there with my flesh buzzing in his warmth. I wanted to grab him, taste him and feel his body against mine. My body tightened in response to my ache for him. He knew it.

He took a few steps back and shut the door. I watched his every muscle exposed tense. This was hard for him too. His chiseled jaw hardened and his eyes went cold. I felt his heat fade as though he forced it to and then I was able to move again. I slammed on the gas and finished pulling out as I kicked up sand and rocks. Tears threatened my eyes for I was so confused and upset. I felt like a heroin addict going through detox. The kicker was that I hadn’t even had the heroin yet, only a tease of what it had to offer and I was already drowning in my own obsession over it.

I pulled into the driveway of my shop and cut the engine. Greyden was still home and I didn’t feel like talking to anyone right now. My attention snapped to the front porch when I heard the screen door slam. I noticed that his old red Chevy S10 was pulled out from the car port and the bed was full of carelessly tossed items. Greyden hurried down the stairs and across the yard with a box in his arms. He lowered it into the truck’s bed and headed back inside for more. I exhaled deeply and closed my eyes. My hands tightened around the steering wheel and I managed to fight off the urge to cry yet again.

I headed for the far end of the shop where Charlie’s car sat looking neglected and I made the decision to consume myself with its work today to drown out the chaos around me. I shoved the shop doors open, cranked up the volume on an old CD player and fired up my sander. I molested the body of the old Bel Air with almost every body improving tool I owned for the next couple of hours. The hum, hiss and grinding of my power tools calmed my wrecked nerves and made me forget that my ex was wearing a bare trail from my house to his truck as he moved out of the house and out of my mind.

CHAPTER 11

I stopped by the liquor store and grabbed my usual: cheap vodka. My tires crunched over the sand as I headed closer to the Ring. I wasn’t going to bother with the bar for a little while. The last thing I wanted to do was see Greyden and Laney together right now. I shook the mental image of him bending her over the beer cooler and reached for my gun. I tucked it into the holster I had strapped at my side under my black leather jacket. Tonight I found myself dressed for the hunt. A black lace shirt stretched tight over my torso and offered a taunting eyeful of my black bra and bare flesh beneath it. Jeans rested low on my hips and hung loose around my black boots. These boots weren’t my normal work boots but my black stiletto boots.

My heels were unforgiving to the desert floor as I slinked out of my truck and sauntered towards the blazing Ring. Nearly a dozen barrels were lit tonight and several fights were already soaking the sand with blood. I found my way back to the decrepit bleachers I sat on the last time and was pleased that they were vacant. Taking a seat, I skimmed the crowd and unscrewed the cap of my vodka. It didn’t take long for me to hear a familiar voice.

“Oh no, honey, that’s the good shit right there. Now pay up,” Charlie’s voice claimed my attention. He stood dressed in tight black pants and a fitted red shirt. His raven hair was flat ironed to perfection and littered with chunky violet streaks. He held his hand out to the man he stood next to and I spied a tiny bag of white substance and shook my head. The burly man he was with stuffed a wad of cash in Charlie’s other hand and took the small bag. “For twenty more dollars you can snort that shit off my ass,” he pitched playfully and the man grunted at him then walked away. “Fucking hater,” the pretty boy hissed as he turned on heel and spotted me.

“Darling, have you stooped that low,” I asked him as he sauntered over to me smacking his lips and dusting raven strands from his breathtaking eyes.

“What brings you here, slut,” he asked in his usual sassy tone. He could tell my vibe was off and he looked me over. “Oooooh, girl. You need a hug don’t ya?” He crossed his legs and rested his wrists over his knee. “All dressed like a badass hooker. Who picked your heart,” he asked as he lifted his hand and stabbed at the air with an invisible ice pick.

“Greyden and I split,” I said as he eyes lit up. “I told him about Murphy and he told me about Laney.”

His eyes flashed wide open and he giggled behind a fan of freshly black painted nails. “Oh, Jesus does love me. I knew that bitch was nasty! I love it!” He cheered on for a few seconds and then stopped, “Boo, are you okay?”

“Like you fucking care. Stick it to him. He deserves it,” I said arching a brow and looking away from his pretty face.

“Shit, he is no pole dancer. Sorry to hear he is forking that little twit though. Ain’t that skank married anyways?”

“Yes she is. I don’t care anymore. I wanted an easy out and I guess I got it. Karma is a bitch, right?”

He smacked his lips and shook his head, “Karma is an expensive whore. I don’t have the money or time to stay on that bitch’s good side so I know what you mean!” He sighed and scanned the area. I watched his eyes devour one man before slipping to a new group and widening. “Oh I almost forgot,” he chirped. “Don’t you know only two hours after your ass rolled out of here the other night, your new little friend had a posse of tattooed men invade this motherfucker?!”

“Why didn’t you call me, Charlie,” I asked as I leaned forward and scolded him. He shrugged and held his hands up.

“So sorry but this bitch is busy!” That was always his defense. I rolled my eyes and waited for him to talk more. “See those guys on the other side,” he asked as he pointed off to our left and across the Ring. I could see two big black trucks and five men standing around talking, smoking and drinking. I recognized Markham from the other night and noticed that the guy he sat with had a tattoo on his neck though from his distance I could not make the image out. I gripped the sides of the bleacher and exhaled heavily.

“It has to be them,” I said quietly, more to myself than to Charlie.

“Oh it’s the guy you had me looking for. Three have the neck tattoos and two have their wrists marked,” he replied and turned to look at me. “Baby girl, I hope you aren’t going to start trouble with those bitches,” he shook his head. “They are hardcore and I need you around to finish my Bel Air.” We both cracked a smile and then turned to watch the men again.

“They are the ones that killed my Pops,” I whispered harshly. I could taste my hate on the tip of my tongue as I spit out those words.

“Dear Lord, I hope you know what you are doing. Little you and those big men don’t exactly match up,” he said with wide eyes and then shook his head. “Bitch, you gonna get yourself killed.”

“We’ll see about that,” I replied. “Thank you for looking for me. I don’t want to keep you from making your money,” I said suggestively and he took the hint. He stood but leaned over to hug me.

“It was nice knowing your skankass. I promise to throw a rose at your funeral,” he said as he kissed both of my cheeks and walked away. My smile faded and his heed sunk in. There was no way I would be able to take on all five of these men on my own. I could get Yates to help me. He had enough fuel for the fire with these chumps to send a few heads rolling. I thought about Greyden but I just wasn’t too sure about him now. Most of Yates’s men had picked up and rolled out as they moved on with their lives; he became lost in the bottom of a bottle. I knew so many people from town but I tried to keep my distance from the truly wicked for my own good. It looked like I didn’t have many options at this point and I was growing impatient trying to come up with more.

I pushed away from the bench, bottle in tow, and crossed the Ring. A large circle of men yelled at the top of their lungs over two men who were slugging it out. Someone raised the bet and feverish hands tossed more money at the collector. The fight was only a few yards from the paw tattooed crew and I could watch them with ease from my spot in the backside of the circle. Someone bumped into me and I gracefully caught myself. No apologies were offered nor expected.

A Native American man jumped on his opponent when he dropped to the ground after a catching the wrong end of a fist full of hate. He grabbed a handful of the unconscious man’s hair and pulled the man’s chin up as he lay face down in the dirt. A blade caught my attention as it reflected the flames of a barrel. Blood beaded up on the forehead of the downed fighter and was followed by a sickening ripping suction sound. I watched with terror as the Native American scalped his opponent. The pain startled the man conscious and the blood curdling scream that escaped him silenced the crowd. When his eyes fluttered and he went limp again the crowd erupted once more.

I had seen enough. I turned to walk away but a wash of warmth stopped me in my tracks. I remained still without turning and waited for him to appear. Markham didn’t leave a woman waiting for long and slunk into my path.

“Hello, beautiful,” he growled softly and I tilted my head. I offered a slight nod and a cold gaze. He pouted in return and came so close that I could have stepped on his bottom lip.

“Does that work for you,” I asked and pointed at his pout. “It really doesn’t look good on you.” He laughed and shook his head. His eyes shifted over me and my sheer shirt.

“Nice, very nice. Are you this attitudal in the bedroom,” he asked and licked his lips suggestively.

“You’ll never know,” I answered and tried to move past him but he didn’t budge.

“This is the one I was telling you about, Darius.” The name made me grow stiff. I stopped breathing for a moment and then drew in my bottom lip as I felt the second rush of heat though this one was stronger. Together their heat was not as invasive as Murphy’s but it was still intimidating. I watched with emotionless eyes as a brute bald headed man circled me and joined the blonde steroid abuser before me.

“She’s quite enchanting,” he spoke. His voice coiled in the air like a snake and slithered over my flesh. I felt the hair at the nape of my neck stand on end and fought off the urge to shiver. Vivid green eyes look hard into mine as if he knew me.  “She smells familiar.” The blonde nodded, agreeing. I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. My feet unglued themselves from the desert floor and I began to walk again. I slid through the small gap between them and as I brushed them both I nearly passed out. A jolt fired through me like electricity and my knees grew weak. I managed to remain on my feet and stumble past them. “What is that I smell,” he asked and sniffed the air. I kept my back to them and slowly stayed in the direction of my car. “Marshall,” I heard him sneer.