Once the last straggler walks out, I breathe a sigh of relief.
Finally.
I quickly finish up and yell through the kitchen door to let Hoot know I"m leaving. It"s just after two in the morning, and I"m really looking forward to a hot shower and my bed. I grab my purse and walk down the hallway to the back exit. Walking out into the slightly humid air, I turn and lock the door behind me. I dig my keys out of my purse and make my way to my car. I"m two steps away when I look up and see I have a flat.
That"s just fanf.u.c.kintastic! Can today get any worse?
I bend down to inspect my tire and don"t see anything embedded in it. Probably a nail. Lucky for me, Jaxon showed me how to do minor repairs to cars when we were younger, including how to change tires. But I sure as s.h.i.t am not doing it tonight. I can barely keep my eyes open as it is. I debate with myself to go in and ask Hoot to give me a ride, but I decide against it. He does most of his creative cooking at night after the bar closes. That means he"ll be here for at least another hour, and I don"t want to wait. I just want to go home. I know he would stop what he"s doing to take me home, but I don"t want him to have to go through that. I can walk, as I don"t live too far from here. I throw my keys back in my purse and start my trek towards home.
Even though I"m wearing a tube top, the humid air is causing my shirt to stick to me and sweat trails down between by b.o.o.bs. I feel nasty, and I"m sure I don"t smell too good either. I speed my steps and promise myself I"m never wearing my combat boots to work again. Yeah, that"s a promise I won"t keep. I love my combat boots.
Jaded is a small community and relatively quiet most of the time, but it"s amazing how quiet it is in the dead of night. All the houses and businesses are dark, except for an occasional porch light. The streetlights are on, and there"s not a running car in sight. I"m just pa.s.sing Davey"s Bait and Tackle when I hear something behind me. I turn quickly and see a tall figure just outside of the glare of the street lamp. I try to shield my eyes so I can see better, but it does nothing to help.
"Alright a.s.shole, just show yourself," I snap out. I am really not in the mood for this s.h.i.t.
"Well, well, if it isn"t little miss Mia," comes a voice I despise. "What are you doing outside this time of night?"
"I should be asking you the same thing, Shady. What trouble are you causing?" This guy gives me the creeps. There is something way off about him. Of course, it probably has a lot to do with the fact that he was the guy that I gave my virginity to. I use the word "gave" very loosely. I don"t even know if he remembers it. He"s never brought it up.
Shady starts stalking towards me with an unnatural glint in his eye. "I"m just out for a leisurely stroll. What"s your excuse? You must know it"s not safe for little girls to be out this late at night."
I start walking backwards the closer he gets to me. I don"t want him anywhere near me. Not paying attention, my dumb a.s.s walks myself backwards until I b.u.mp into a hard surface behind me. Shady doesn"t stop until he"s right in front of me.
"Back up, Shady," I tell him firmly. I may sound brave on the outside, but I"m quaking in my d.a.m.n combat boots. No way will I show him I"m scared s.h.i.tless, but that"s exactly what I am: scared out of my mind. Shady is a huge man, and I know if he wanted to hurt me he would have no problem at all. I may be able to hold my own in many situations, but I"m no fool to think I can take on a guy like Shady.
I smell body odor and stale whiskey on his breath when he leans in towards me. I have to force myself not to gag. He really stinks. Shady is a heavy drinker, but I can tell he"s sober right now. That may be the only thing that saves me.
I put my hands on his chest to push him back, but he doesn"t budge. "Shady, I mean it. You need to back off."
Instead of backing up, he leans in further and puts his arms on the wall behind me on either side of my head. His mouth is at my ear when he speaks again.
"I can still smell you, Mia. I can still see you laid out before me in the back of my truck. I can still see the blood on my fingers after I shoved them in you. Do you remember?"
Well, s.h.i.t. I guess he does remember. I had hoped that he was so f.u.c.ked up that he wouldn"t remember. His words send a repulsive shiver down my spine.
"I prefer not to remember. Now back the h.e.l.l off," I shove him again, and again he goes nowhere. I"m really starting to get worried. I"m out here all alone with him. Not a soul in sight. I know what Shady"s capable, of and I definitely don"t need a repeat performance.
I"m just getting ready to knee his b.a.l.l.s up into his throat when a flashlight shines on us. Shady immediately takes a step back. I can"t see the holder because the glare is blinding me, but I"m glad nonetheless.
"What"s going on here?" Mac"s voice sounds from behind the bright light. I sag back against the wall in relief.
"Mia, you okay?" Mac asks as he walks towards us. He"s p.i.s.sed. I can tell from the ridged line of his jaw.
I give him a shaky smile before I reply, "Yes."
He swings the flashlight in Shady"s direction. "What are you doing out this late, Shady?"
"What are you, my momma? It ain"t against the law to be walking the streets, is it?"
"It is when you"re causing problems."
"I haven"t done anything. I was just leaving Dax"s house when I saw Mia here. Me and her were just reminiscing, weren"t we, little girl?" The ravenous look he sends my way makes me want to smack the look from his face. I still can"t believe I let him touch me all those years ago.
"No, we weren"t, Shady. You were being a d.i.c.k," I tell him. I feel the tension coming from Mac, who is now standing beside me.
"If you so say, babe."
The endearment brings bile to my throat.
"Alright, it"s time for you to go home, Shady," Mac practically growls. "Don"t stop until you get there."
Shady smiles at me with his nasty yellow teeth. "Will do, Weston. See ya around, Mia." With that, he turns around and moves down the street toward a bike sitting on the side of the road.
Once his bike is out of sight, Mac turns back to me with narrowed eyes.
I point my finger in his face. "Don"t you f.u.c.king start with me, Sheriff."
"What the f.u.c.k, Pix? What in the h.e.l.l are you thinking? Yes, we have a pretty safe community, but when a.s.sholes like Shady are lurking, you know it"s not safe to be out this late at night alone."
"Yeah, well, I have a flat tire and thought I"d walk home since I don"t live far from here. Who was I to know Shady would be out here?"
"And you couldn"t ask Hoot to give you a ride?"
"Yes, I could have, but I didn"t. He was going to be there for a while longer, and I didn"t want to wait. I"m dead on my feet and just want to go home."
Mac drops his head and runs his fingers through his thick brown hair. I don"t see how he hasn"t pulled it out yet with how many times I"ve seen him do that lately. I see him shake his head and mutter something that sounds like, "Stupid women."
"Excuse me?" I ask him. Now my temper is starting to flare. I understand his worry. I really do get it, but he has no right to act all high and mighty. It"s not like he hasn"t made any mistakes in his life. I almost laugh at that.
"Nothing. Let"s go." He reaches for my arm, but I yank it back.
"I can walk myself without your help."
"Fine, walk, run, I don"t care. Just get to the d.a.m.n truck. I"m tired and want to get out of here and go home." He turns on his heel and starts walking down the street.
He is so frustrating. It takes me a minute to catch up with his long strides.
"So, why are you out so late?" I ask him while we walk side by side towards his truck parked on the side of the road.
"Mrs. Cranny found a spider in her bathroom. I had to come get it out," he says with a sidewards glance at me.
I laugh at that. Mrs. Cranny is constantly calling the station for someone to come get little critters out of her house. She"s a crafty ninety-year old lady that lives by herself and has a phobia of insects. Or rather, she likes to claim she has a phobia. Everyone knows the real reason she calls the station; to have one of the officer, most specifically Mac, come out to her house to give her eye candy to look at.
"It isn"t funny. I walked into the bathroom expecting to see a big spider. Did I see a big spider? No. I saw a spider smaller than my d.a.m.n pinky nail. I would swear that she pinched my a.s.s when I was bending over picking up the d.a.m.n thing. She needs to be put in a home."
"Oh, come on, Mac. She"s just a little old lady. Are you telling me you can"t handle someone like her?"
"f.u.c.k, no. She"s a slick one. The last time I was there I think she purposely spilled tea on my shirt so I would have to take it off."
I laugh even harder. "Did you take it off?"
"h.e.l.l no, I didn"t. No telling what she would have done if I had."
We reach Mac"s truck, and he opens the door for me. Because I"m so short, I have a hard time getting into it. He startles me by putting his hands on my hips and hoisting me up into the seat. I bite my lip to keep from chuckling at the cliche lingering of his hands on my hips. Typical male reaction in this situation.
"You can let go, Sheriff. I think I got it now," I tell him over my shoulder.
He looks up from looking at my a.s.s with heat in his eyes. Yep, typical male. The look he gives me tells me he doesn"t care he was caught looking.
"It was in my face. Where else do you expect me to look?" He says before letting me go.
I tip my lips up at that.
He closes the door and walks around, while I put on my seatbelt. Of course, he climbs up with no trouble. I think the truck companies that make these monsters are a bunch of h.o.r.n.y guys. Their sole purpose is so guys have to touch women"s hips to lift them in the truck. I snicker at the idea.
"What"s funny?"
I glance over at him. "Nothing."
He starts the engine and pulls out onto the deserted road. The cool air coming from the vents causes goose b.u.mps to form on my sweaty skin.
"What did Shady mean, you were reminiscing?" Mac asks after a couple of minutes.
Nope, not going there. No way am I telling Mac what happened between Shady and me. He would s.h.i.t a brick and go ballistic, especially if he knew the details. That"s one story that will never come to light. I decide to act nonchalant and lie.
"I have no idea what he"s talking about. We"re talking about Shady here, and you know Shady likes to act...well, shady."
Out the corner of my eye, I see Mac turn his head my way, watching me, weighing my words. Doesn"t matter if he believes me or not. He"s not getting anything out of me. He can speculate and contemplate all he wants. Luckily, he lets it go.
"I"ll stop by the bar tomorrow morning and change your tire. I"ll bring your car by the house so you"ll have it for work."
I turn my body so it faces him before I speak. "You don"t need to do that. I can change it myself."
"I know you can, but I"m going to do it for you." The stubbornness I see in his jaw tells me not to argue. I do anyway. It"s my d.a.m.n car.
"Don"t touch my car. I"ll take care of it," I tell him.
"f.u.c.k, Mia, just let me change the d.a.m.n tire. I don"t have anything going on tomorrow anyway."
"Why?"
"Because I want to, that"s why."
"You don"t owe me anything, Mac," I tell him quietly. I wonder if this is some guilt deed. Is he trying to make up for what happened? It sucks that it happened, but it was a long time ago. And after what he told me the other day, he doesn"t owe me anything. Actually, I probably owe him an apology for never giving him the opportunity to talk. It"s an apology I"m not ready to give yet though. One day, maybe.
"You may not think I owe you anything, but I feel I do. Just let me do this for you, Pix." The remorse I hear in his voice makes my chest hurt. I never realized how deep his guilt was until now. It runs much deeper than it should. Yes, he should feel some, but not what is emitting from him right now. He was a victim just as much as I was.
"Okay." I pull my keys out of my purse and hand them to him.
He looks at me in surprise before giving me a small smile. "Thank you."
Mac glances over and sees my hand that"s wrapped in gauze sitting in my lap. "What happened to your hand?"
I had forgotten all about it during the episode with Shady, and then with Mac.
"Nothing," I mutter. "I just nicked it on some gla.s.s.
Yes, I"m going back with my original "nicking" fib.
We lapse into silence, and a few minutes later, Mac pulls the truck into my driveway. My porch light is on, illuminating the bottom of my two-story house.
"Thank you for the ride."
"You"re welcome. Next time call me if you need a ride home. Do not go walking around in the dark like that."
I roll my eyes at his demand, but reply with, "Yeah, sure."
I grab the handle to open the door, but Mac stops me by putting his hand on mine that"s still on the seat. "Will you have lunch with me and T tomorrow at Maggie"s?"
And just like two nights ago, his words surprise me. What surprises me even more is my reply.
"Yes."
He flashes me with a smile that sends heat heading straight into my panties. It doesn"t help that Mac is rubbing small circles on the back of my hand. I squeeze my legs together to help squelch the feeling.
"I"ll see you tomorrow when I drop your car off. We can leave then and go to the diner."
"Okay. Goodnight, Sheriff," I say and slide my hand from his. I already miss the feel of his rough fingers and the swirls he was creating.
"Goodnight, Pix. Sweet dreams," he says softly.
I close the door without looking back and quietly walk up my steps and straight into the house.
Chapter Twelve.
Mac Her laugh...
"Come over here, T," I call to my son, who is busy playing his hand held video game inside the truck. "It"s time you learn how to change a tire."
He puts the game down and gets out of the truck. When he walks up beside me, I move out of the way and hand him the crow bar to loosen the lug nuts. I know he"s not strong enough yet to loosen them himself, but I"ll let him try it first. I already have the car jacked up enough to take the pressure off the tires. I show him how to put the crow bar on the lug nuts and which way to turn it. Once done, he strains and pulls with all his strength. Of course, it doesn"t budge.