“You don’t need to know why,” I said. I shook Jake away. “Whatever the fuck you’re doing here, Jake, you better really reconsider.”
I wanted to walk away as a tough guy. As someone who did a favor to a stranger. That was something I never did though.
But Jake couldn't just fucking listen.
He ran after me again.
He grabbed my leather cut. “My wife was killed in this store.”
I looked back at him. “What?”
“Someone killed my wife. A long time ago. But this was our place together. All we had was this store and our daughter. I’ll do anything to keep both. If you need to call your thugs and come kill me, then do it. Just don’t hurt my daughter.”
“Thugs?” I asked. “Trust me, Jake, we’re not thugs. We’re your only hope.”
I walked to the front of the store and found Ava right where I left her.
She jumped up. “Is he alive?”
“He’s fine,” I said. “Whatever the hell is going on here… you all need to reel it in and quick.”
“I’ve told…”
I put a hand up. “Not my problem, sweetie. I just came in to grab a little snack.”
And to snoop around your store. I found everything I need. You better skip town, and soon, sweetie, because when Prez gives the order, we’ll take the store down.
Ava reached up and touched my cheek. “You saved my life. You saved my father. You…”
I gently touched her wrist and moved it away from me. I shook my head. “You have no idea what I did here, sweetie.”
I walked around the counter and grabbed my soda and chips. I’d paid for them and I planned on taking them with me.
Just before I turned away, Ava dove across the counter again at me. She put her right hand on the counter and she grabbed my leather cut with her left hand. I had a one second view of her cleavage and I took full advantage of it.
Christ, her tits were fucking delicious looking.
She then forced herself forward and planted a kiss on my cheek. If that was her way of thanking me she could have spared the nonsense and just dropped to her knees and sucked my dick.
I pulled away from the counter and walked out of the store.
I touched my cheek and growled under my breath.
I shouldn’t have gotten involved in that bullshit.
I shouldn’t have saved Ava or her old man.
That was a mistake.
And that mistake was going to fucking follow me.
chapter seven
(ava)
NOW
Dad had a bandage across the bridge of his nose. There was a family emergency sign in the window of the store. He shut it down for the day and wanted to hide in his cramped apartment. He had a bottle of whiskey at the table. He had used it to dab on his nose before putting on the bandage. Now he was drinking the whiskey to calm his nerves.
I stood at the doorway to the tiny kitchen, my arms folded. All I could think about was Jace. Jace. What a cool name. A sexy name. And he matched the fit. His shoulders were twenty feet wide and rounded. He filled out his shirt and leather cut easily. Everything about him screamed bad and outlaw but he was beautiful. In such a rough and rugged way he was beautiful.
Dad looked at me then looked away.
“What do you plan on doing now?” I asked.
“Forgive me, Ava,” he said. “Things are out of control.”
“What was Uncle Frank doing here?”
“He’s not your uncle.”
“I know that. And he was the reason I was on the floor when you sent me home sick.”
“What?”
“He tried to…” My mouth went dry. “He tried to touch me. To proposition me. I wrestled him away and then he threw me to the ground.”
“That bastard!” Dad yelled and slammed his fist on the table. “That fucking bastard!”
“Who is he?” I asked. “Why was he trying to hurt you?”
“Better question… why was that biker there to save us?”
“I don’t know anything,” I said. “I’m lost.”
I bit my lip and tried to fight back the tears. Dad got to his feet, favoring his right leg. He grabbed the whiskey bottle and stumbled toward me.
“Ava, you can’t cry now,” he said. “It’s been a bad day for us.”
“Everyday has been bad,” I whispered. “I don’t understand anything.”
He put a hand to the wall for balance. He swayed left to right, over and over.
“Uncle Frank is just no good,” Dad whispered. “And that outlaw hit him. Beat him so fast. So good. I’ve never seen anyone do that to Frank before.”
“Jace hurt him?”
Dad looked at me. “Jace?”
“That was his name. He told it to me.”
A smile flickered across Dad’s face. “Yes… that’s it then. That’s what I can do.”
“Do what?”
Dad stumbled back to his chair and collapsed down. I swore the entire apartment shook like the floor was going to give out.
He slammed a fist down to the table again. His hand opened and he grabbed the bottle of whiskey. Throwing it back, he drank it like it was a bottle of water.
I hated when he drank. So did Mom. He never got violent. He just got stupid.
“We need them, Ava,” Dad said. “I realize that now. They’re part of this town. They’re part of us.”
“What are you talking about?”