Drunk Dial (Hard Core #1) (Hard Core Series) (20 page)

My phone rang, and York’s face flashed across the screen. I considered hitting Ignore. Not because I didn’t want to talk to him, but because I didn’t know what to say. He’d be concerned, just as I was, but I didn’t want to feed his paranoia while trying to quash my own.

“Hey,” I said, trying to sound relaxed. “I just left your place. Admit it, you can’t get enough of me.”

“Who the fuck sent you flowers, Lacy?”

I could hear the tension in his voice, could almost see him pacing his massive great room, with the high ceilings and light filtering through the wall-to-wall windows. But I had no doubt he was ignoring his breathtaking view. He was too busy worrying about me, which was the last thing I wanted.

“Are you jealous?” I asked, trying to play it off as insignificant, though we both knew the flowers meant Jordan was sending me a message. He wasn’t going away.

“This isn’t a goddamn joke! You think that prick sent them, don’t you?”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” I said, forcing a smile that I hoped he could hear. “It could have been my other boyfriend.”

“Goddammit, this isn’t funny! Maybe you should call Coop and tell him—”

“No!” My brothers were already worried sick about me. I didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. “No,” I said, my voice softening. “They’ve got enough on their plates. I don’t want them to worry about this. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

“You don’t believe that any more than I do.” When I didn’t respond, he sighed. “Baby, just make sure your doors are locked. Keep your eyes open when you step outside, and make sure you’re armed at all times. I’m picking you up from work tonight.”

“But—”

“No buts, Lace. I’m picking you up from work.”

Before I could argue, he was gone. I scowled at the phone, hating that Jordan was once again calling the shots, forcing me to live in fear of him.

“Are you okay?” Rachel asked gently.

I growled, covering my face with my hands. “I don’t want to talk about him. I don’t want to talk about that asshole I was married to. I want to talk about something else. Anything else.”

“How about the fact that Ace asked me to move in with him? Do you want to talk about that?”

I gaped at her, feeling a little as though the rug had been pulled out from under me. “Seriously? But you guys haven’t been seeing each other that long.”

I knew it didn’t take my friend long to decide a guy was “the one,” but she usually turned out to be wrong. And she’d never made this kind of commitment to anyone. I couldn’t believe she was actually considering it.

“He told me last night that he’s falling in love with me,” Rachel said, smiling. “Can you believe that? He actually said he loves me.”

I didn’t know what had happened in Rachel’s past that made her crave love the way I craved fresh air and water, but I was sure there was a story there. One I may never hear. “Of course I can believe that. You’re easy to love.”

“Thanks.” She set her empty mug on the table before raking her hand through her long blond hair. “He said it makes sense, since we spend all of our time together anyhow.”

They had been together almost every night since they started dating, but making it official required a huge leap of faith. Especially so soon.

“I just want you to be happy,” I said, trying to choose my words carefully. “You know that. But maybe you should take your time with this one, Rach. Don’t rush into anything.”

“I hear what you’re saying,” she said, nodding. “But when am I going to get another chance with a guy like Ace? Someone who actually says he loves me and wants to commit to me?”

I still thought that, at twenty-seven, she had plenty of time left for marriage and babies, but she didn’t see it that way. She wanted stability in her life. Stability that she assumed only a man could provide apparently.

“I can’t tell you what to do,” I said, trying to be the supportive friend she’d always been to me. “If Ace makes you happy and you’re sure you’re ready, then go for it.”

“But I don’t want to leave you high and dry.” She worried her bottom lip. “Especially now, with your ex—”

“Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.” A part of me would be relieved if I didn’t have to worry about my friend getting caught in the cross fire if I wasn’t here when Jordan came calling. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her because of me.

“You say that,” Rachel said, nudging the leg I had propped up on the coffee table with her toe. “And I know you’re a tough chick. But you’re no match for a madman with a gun, sweetie.”

“Trust me,” I said, standing. “My Glock is a match for just about anything life throws at me, girl.”

***

I was surprised when Brent walked into the club that night. He’d made himself scarce lately, and I’d assumed it was because he’d lost interest in me. Judging by the way he looked me up and down, with his eyes landing on my cleavage before my face, I’d thought wrong.

“Hey,” I said with a tight smile. “The usual?” We were slammed tonight, and I didn’t have time for small talk.

“Sure,” he said, unbuttoning his dark suit jacket before claiming the last seat at the bar. “Can you take a break?”

One look around should have answered that question. We were so packed, I expected the fire department to show up and slap us on the wrist for violating code.

“Not any time soon,” I said, passing him a shot of fifteen-year-old scotch on the rocks.

“That’s okay,” he said before taking a sip of his drink. “I can wait.”

I didn’t want to encourage him to stick around, but I should explain to him that I was seeing someone now and wouldn’t be available for that dinner he kept texting me about. I’d always replied with a two-word response:
Sorry, busy.
But it wasn’t fair to let him go on thinking I was interested when I wasn’t and never would be.

Five minutes after Brent claimed a table and told me to come find him when I could, my brother slipped behind the bar. “You can take a break, if you want,” he said. “I can cover for you.”

My eyes drifted to Brent as I removed my apron with a sigh.

“What the hell is he doing here?” Ash asked, frowning. “If he’s giving you a hard time, I’d be happy to kick him out on his arrogant ass.”

“It’s fine,” I said, curling my hand around his forearm to ward off trouble. “I can handle him.”

Brent was chatting up another waitress when I approached, so he didn’t even notice me until I’d slid into his booth.

“Oh, hey,” he said, grinning at me. “You finally got a break.”

“What can I get you, Lacy?” Laura asked.

“I’m fine,” I said, shaking my head. “I’ll just grab a water in a bit. Thanks.”

Brent reached for my hands. “So how’ve you been?”

“Um, fine,” I said, trying to withdraw my hands without making this any more awkward than it had to be. “You?”

He frowned but slid back in his seat, putting a respectable distance between us. “I’ve been okay, I guess. I’ve missed you.”

I wasn’t sure where that was coming from, since we’d never had that kind of relationship. We’d hooked up a time or two, but it was just that—a hook-up. Neither of us had thought we were exclusive.

“Busy with work?” I asked, trying to figure out how to let him down gently, since he clearly didn’t intend to make this easy for me.

“Always.”

Glancing at the bar, I knew I’d have to rescue my brother soon. He could draw a beer or pour a glass of scotch or vodka, but not much else. Thankfully, he was a better manager than he was a bartender. “So about your text messages…”

His eyes narrowed as he glanced at the door. “Yeah, that’s why I came in. Hoping we could firm up our plans for dinner.”

I’d been remiss in not having this conversation with him sooner apparently, because he was under the mistaken impression we were still seeing each other. “Here’s the thing, Brent.” I rubbed my thumb against my palm as he fixated all of his attention on me, making me even more uneasy. “I think you’re a great guy. But I, um, am kind of seeing someone.”

“Who? Please tell me it’s not that musclehead.” When he gestured toward the bar, I followed his gaze and cringed when I spotted York talking to Ash.

He may have been talking to Ash, but his eyes were locked on me… and my companion. York didn’t look happy, and I knew if I didn’t wrap this up soon, he’d be over here to do it for me.

“York and I have gotten close,” I confirmed, trying to find a diplomatic way to tell Brent he wasn’t interesting enough to hold my attention. Hell, compared to York, he was a snore. “So, um, that’s why I’m not seeing anyone else right now. I hope you understand?”

“No, I don’t understand,” he said, shaking his head as though I was speaking a foreign language. “I don’t understand how a girl like you could go for an idiot like that. For Christ’s sake, he beats guys up for a living.”

I wouldn’t bother reminding him that York was a talented martial artist at the top of his game. I didn’t care what Brent thought of York or me, so long as he understood what we’d had was over.

“I have to get back to work,” I said, sliding out of the booth. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out the way you wanted them to, but I’d still like to be friends.” It was a perfunctory offer and we both knew it, since we’d never really been friends. He didn’t know much about me, nor did he seem to want to. And the feeling was mutual.

“You’re going to regret this, Lacy,” he said, grabbing my hand so I couldn’t walk away. “I can give you things he can’t. The life you could have with me—”

“Uh…” Like that was ever gonna happen. “I’ve got to get back at it. Have a good night, Brent,” I said, extracting my hand from his before turning and quickly making my way toward the bar.

“What the fuck did he want?” York asked as soon as I approached.

I barely resisted the urge to sigh. I was dead on my feet and really didn’t need this shit tonight.

“I’d like to know that too,” Ash said, popping the top off a beer.

“Yeah, well, this isn’t the time or place for this conversation,” I said, smiling at one of our regulars. “I need to get back to work.”

York

When that douche was still sitting in the same booth half an hour later, watching Lacy, along with every short skirt in the place, I decided it was time to set him straight.

“What do you want?” he asked, glaring at me when I walked up.

It must be the liquid courage talking, because surely this little weasel wasn’t stupid enough or brave enough to call me out. “What the fuck do you want, that’s what I want to know.”

“I want Lacy.” He licked his lips as he leered at her. “Again.”

I felt my heart rate accelerate. “You expect me to believe you slept with Lacy? Come on, we both know she has better taste than that.”

He gave me a once-over, sneering. “I thought she had good taste, but that was before I found out she was hooking up with you too.”

I was going to throttle this fucking loser. “First of all, Lacy’s my girlfriend, not a hook-up, and second of all, there’s no goddamn way she slept with you.”

He downed the contents of his glass before pulling a money clip out of his pocket. He peeled a couple of bills off the top and slipped them under his empty glass. “You don’t believe me?” He shrugged. “Ask your girlfriend. Assuming she’ll tell you the truth. If not, I just might have some proof here for you.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and slid his finger across the screen.

“If I were you, I’d get the fuck out of here before I break both your legs.”

He chuckled while getting to his feet. “I guess that’s Lacy’s speed these days. Brawn instead of brains. But that can’t last forever. She’ll come back to me when she realizes what a good thing she had with me.”

My fists were clenched tight as I watched him walk away. I never instigated street fights. That went against everything I believed in, but this guy deserved to get his teeth knocked out. I was seriously considering doing just that when Ash slapped me on the back.

“Sit down, man. I don’t want any trouble here tonight.”

I closed my eyes as I slid into the booth, reminding myself this was Ash’s place of business. I had to respect that, and him, enough to keep my temper in check.

“What did he say to make you look like you wanna tear his head off?” Ash asked as he slid into the booth across from me while Laura cleared and wiped down the table.

“Anything to drink, boys?” she asked.

“Not for me, thanks,” Ash said.

“No, thanks, Laura,” I muttered before taking a few deep breaths to try to rein in my rage. I clasped my hands in front of my face, resting my elbows on the table.

“So tell me,” Ash said, spreading his hands. “What did he say?”

“You don’t want to know.” If it were my sister, I wouldn’t want to hear another guy spewing lies about her.

“Try me.”

I glanced at Lacy, who looked uncharacteristically nervous as she watched us while taking a customer’s order.

“He told me he and Lacy had a thing,” I said, cracking my knuckles.

“Yeah, but you knew that. So what’s the big deal?”

“He said they hooked up.” I narrowed my eyes as my gaze traveled from Lacy back to her brother. “That’s not true, is it?”

“How the hell would I know who she’s slept with, man?” Ash asked, looking uncomfortable. “We don’t talk about shit like that.”

“Then it could be true?” I didn’t know why the thought of that dirtbag touching Lacy made me so crazy, only that it did.

“You’ll have to ask her, York. I’m not getting involved.”

***

I hated that I even had to ask Lacy this question, but I couldn’t let it go. I curled my hand around the steering wheel when we stopped at a red light. “The car salesman says you were banging him. That true?”

We’d already been to her place to pick up an overnight bag and were headed to my house. I’d waited as long as I could to ask the question that had been eating at me most of the night. Instead of laughing at the absurdity of it, Lacy looked out the window. Which probably put my blood pressure into the danger zone.

“What happened before we met doesn’t really matter, does it?”