Mountain Grump Protector (Mountain Grumps #3)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Willow

Because I’m out of options.

I hope like hell it works.

I take a deep breath and toss my hair over my shoulder, wishing I’d brought an elastic to tie it back. It’s a hot July night, and I can’t stop sweating. Either that, or it’s the stress of what I’m about to walk into, getting to me.

No one ever expects it to get hot in the mountains, especially this high up, but the truth is, we get our fair share of heat.

Even in Iron Peak.

Summers were nicer when we lived on the other side of the valley in Rock Creek. Everything was nicer then.

But there’s no point dwelling on that particular life change.

Especially not now.

I need to focus.

The Rusty Nail isn’t the type of place to let your guard down. I set my jaw, hoping I look tougher than I feel, and pull the heavy door open, stepping inside to the dark, dank bar.

Instantly, I feel every eye in the place on me. Chairs scrape, someone coughs, and I know without looking that I’ve become the focus of every man in the place.

I work hard to keep my face neutral, bored even as I slowly scan the dimly lit room for my target. There’s only a handful of people inside, and unfortunately, I know most of them. Or I know of them.

Iron Peak is a small town. Everyone knows everyone, whether they want to or not, and the men in this bar…I definitely don’t want to know them.

Unfortunately for me, they are the reason I’m here this evening. Well, them and my deadbeat younger brother, who has a habit of creating trouble right before he runs from it.

Leaving me to do the cleanup.

Every time.

My eyes land briefly on the man sitting at the bar, a glass of whiskey in front of him. I’ve seen him before, but not often. He’s one of them.

A man of the mountain.

It’s a stupid name, but it’s how the locals refer to the ex-military men who more or less bought up all the land on the mountain decades ago and live up there by themselves.

Well, mostly by themselves. Lately, there have been rumors that some of the men of the mountain have managed to attract wives.

I can see why.

Even seated, I can tell he’s a massive wall of muscle, and even from my distance with the dim lighting, I can see he’s sexy as hell.

If mountain men almost twice your age are your kind of thing.

And they most definitely are not mine.

I shake off the distraction and return my attention to the entire reason I’ve set foot inside this dingy hole.

I spot my target near the back. Ronnie Hatch.

He’s the kind of man who takes up more space than he’s earned. Heavyset, with greasy hair and a permanent scowl on his pockmarked face.

He’s already watching me. They all are.

I move toward him, eager to get this over with.

“Well, well, well.” He leans on his pool cue and licks his lips as his eyes rake over me, leaving me feeling way too exposed.

I regret the tank top and cutoffs I’m wearing. But it’s not like I have a walk-in closet of options to choose from.

Besides, just because he’s looking doesn’t mean he gets anything more than that.

“I came to pay my brother’s debt,” I say, ignoring the gross way he’s leering at me along with all his cronies who’ve come to gather round.

“Is that right?” He leans back, setting the cue down on the table top before crossing his beefy arms. “And how much do you think that little shit racked up before he ran off this time?”

I swallow hard, hoping he doesn’t see the shake in my arm as I reach for the envelope in my back pocket. “I have two hundred now, and I can get you the rest in—”

“Two hundred?” He almost chokes on his laughter. The sound rolls out of his chest, like he can’t believe what I said. The men around him start snickering and elbowing each other as if they’re all in on a joke that isn’t funny.

I don’t look away. I won’t give him that satisfaction.

“Little lady.” He draws out the words as he steps toward me, pinning me with his eyes. “Your brother owes me twenty-eight hundred dollars. Not two.”

Twenty-eight?

My throat goes dry.

I knew Bryson was in trouble; he always was. But I didn’t think it was that deep. The two hundred in my hand suddenly feels like nothing. Less than nothing.

It might as well be.

“I…” my throat closes around the rest, mostly because I have no idea what to say. “I’ll get the rest,” I manage after a moment. “I just need a little time. Let me give you this as a down payment.”

The truth is, I have no idea how I’m going to come up with any more.

Scraping together two hundred dollars had been hard enough.

After rent, food, and bills, there’s never enough.

Especially since Dad hasn’t worked in…well, I can’t think about how long it had been since he’d brought home a pay cheque.

It may be cheaper to live in Iron Peak, but there isn’t much in the way of work in this backwoods town. At least not unless I want to work at the mill. I will, though, and Lord knows, I’ve tried. But they refuse to hire a woman.

Sexist assholes.

Not that I should be spending any time worrying about that right now. I have much bigger concerns in front of me.

Like the way Ronnie is closing in on me, a leering grin on his face. “Time?” He tilts his head and doesn’t bother hiding the grin on his face. “Your brother already had time. In fact, I gave him three different deadlines and now…here you are.”

I don’t like the look on his face, but I refuse to take a step backward. I will not let him see that he’s getting to me.

“Unless, of course, he’s sent you in payment.”

“Absolutely not,” I spit.

"After all, the price has gone up,” he continues, as if I haven’t spoken at all, and reaches out, tracing one thick, greasy finger down my cheek. It takes all my restraint not to bite it off. “You might just be the right price to pay off his debt after all.”

“Like I said,” I step back, so his hand falls away. “Absolutely not.”

The expression on Ronnie’s face shifts, the slimy smile slipping away, replaced by a leer.

“Here’s the thing, little lady.” His voice drops, turning even more menacing.

“I’m not an unreasonable man. I’m willing to work something out with you.

But if you’re not going to cooperate, the price will continue to go up. ”

The way he says it makes my skin crawl. His eyes drop to my chest, then lower even further. I don’t need to ask what exactly he’s willing to work out.

I’m running out of options, but there’s still no way I’m going to allow myself to get drawn into his sick twisted game. Not for a second. I shake my head and take another step backwards, but my escape route is blocked.

“Don’t be like that.” He’s once more standing inches in front of me, as if I haven’t moved at all. He reaches out and twists a strand of my red hair around his fingers. “I wonder if the curtains match the drapes.”

My stomach turns, and I grit my teeth. I will not cry. I will not panic. Not here. Not in this bar.

I’m not known for my cool head. My temper never fails to get the best of me. But I will not lose control. Not now.

“You see, little lady, your brother didn’t just borrow.

” Ronnie’s breath is stale beer and cigarettes, hot against my face.

“There’s interest. There was the trouble he caused with the boys at the mill last week.

There’s the damage he did to my truck when he peeled out of here last time.

” He clicks his tongue and narrows his eyes.

“Numbers add up real fast when a man doesn’t pay on time. ”

It’s a lie. Most of it anyway. But judging by the way his cronies are smirking at each other, it doesn’t matter. We’re long past actual numbers, he’s making it up as he goes, and no matter what he decides, it’s still going to be more than I’ll ever be able to pay. And he knows it.

“So we’re looking at, what, boys? Five grand?”

“Six,” one of them calls out.

“You just said—”

“Six and change,” Ronnie cuts me off as if he hadn’t just tripled the number. “Seems a little steep for a girl with two hundred bucks in her pocket.”

The room laughs, and I’ve never wanted to disappear more in my life.

A taller, skinnier man steps up beside Ronnie. I think his name is Dale. Not that it matters. “What did you say bout her being the right price, Ron? I could think of a few things she could do for me.”

Bile rises in my throat.

“You don’t have a stake in this, Dale.”

His eyes rake up and down me. “I could.”

I try, but fail at suppressing my shiver of revulsion.

“Let’s play for it.” Another voice pipes in.

Play?

“You don’t have a stake in this either, Paul,” Ronnie says, but he’s grinning, obviously enjoying my discomfort.

“I do what I want,” Paul says, joining the others. He holds out a handful of darts. “Let’s play. Closest to the bullseye gets the girl.”

Gets the girl?

“Oh no.” I shake my head and try to back up, but Ronnie grabs my arm. “I don’t think so.”

“I don’t think you get a choice, little lady.” Ronnie’s eyes narrow, and his grip tightens, telling me exactly what little choice I have.