Chapter 20
PRESLEY
The salon was usually my happy place. It gave me a chance to be with my girls and to get in touch with my creative side. I should’ve been thrilled. It was Friday afternoon, I was at work, and business was steady. I was able to spend some time with my girls, and I had a full day of clients.
But my heart wasn’t in it. I was just going through the motions.
Smile.
Wash. Cut. Style.
Move on to the next.
I tried to pull myself out of my funk. I even Door-Dashed one of my favorite coffees and a chocolate chip muffin, but it did little to take my mind off of Luke and what seemed to be the demise of our relationship or whatever we had going.
It had been over a week since the night I met him at the casino. He’d texted and even called, but they were just quick check-ins. Some teasing, a joke here or there, and a good morning or good night. But that was about it. There was no mention of another date or when we might get together again.
And the silence that wrapped itself around that lack of planning felt louder than anything he’d actually said. It made me doubt everything. I thought about the times we’d spent together. The night we’d played pool. The dinner at the small café. The lake. Dinner at his place and what happened after.
He’d looked at me like I meant something to him.
He’d treated me that way, too. It felt good. It felt real, like it might be the start of something more, and it didn’t make sense that he was suddenly pulling away.
I told myself not to read into it.
Men were nothing if they weren’t complicated, and recent events in his life had definitely been complicated. I knew that, but that did little to curb the doubts that kept creeping into the back of my mind.
Christina glanced at me through the mirror, and she was steadily trimming her client's hair when she said, “What’s going on with you today?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t give me that. Something’s got you twisted up. It’s written all over your face.”
“That obvious, huh?”
“Oh, yeah,” she smirked. “You’ve been staring off into space like you’re in your own world over there.”
“Things just seem off.” I shrugged. “It felt like things were going so well with Luke and me, and now, all of a sudden, they’re not. It’s like it all fell flat, and I don’t know why. I don’t know what I did.”
“Men don’t pull back for no reason.” She continued trimming her client’s hair as she said, “But that doesn’t mean he’s doing it because of you. Could be any number of things.”
“You’re right.”
“I usually am,” she teased. “Now, quit worrying until you have a reason to worry.”
I nodded, but my chest still ached.
I finished sweeping my area, then went over and checked my calendar. I wanted to make sure I had the time right for my next appointment when I overheard the guy say, “It was probably one of the worst fights I’d ever seen. It was like coming up on a bad wreck. Only it was in a bar.”
“That’s crazy. When was this?”
“This past weekend.”
Christina’s client was one of her regulars.
He was a first responder, and he always had some wild story to share.
Usually, I didn’t pay him much mind, but today, I couldn’t help myself from eavesdropping when he said, “You should’ve seen it.
Bodies were scattered all over the place, and every one of them was hurt or unconscious. ”
Christina kept trimming away as she said, “I can’t believe I haven’t heard a thing about it.”
“That’s because of who’s involved.”
“What do you mean?”
“They hold a lot of power around here.” He shrugged. “I mean, there wasn’t any proof or I don’t think there was. The cops are still looking into it, but they’re fairly certain a local club was behind it all. They’re pretty well-known around here, and nobody crosses them, and I mean nobody.”
And just like that, my stomach dropped to the floor.
I grabbed the back of my chair, using it to steady myself as I listened to him say, “I probably shouldn’t have said anything myself. My ass and my job would be on the line if it got out I was talking about it.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me… Mums the word.” Christina reached for the clippers and glanced over at me as she asked, “Any idea why they were fighting?”
“No idea, but they must’ve done something pretty bad to deserve the beating they got.”
“So it was that bad.”
“Ah, yeah. You should’ve seen it…. Most of them were left unconscious, and the ones still standing were only standing because they had both hands knifed straight into the bar top.”
“They pinned them down.”
“Ah, yeah. It was gruesome. They even had a couple of them bite the table.”
I had no idea what he’d meant by bite the table, but it was clear from his expression that it was bad. Really bad. And just hearing about it had my head spinning.
“I’ve been a medic for ten years, and I’ve seen a lot of crazy shit, but nothing like that.
My partner and I had to pry them lose before we could get them on the stretcher…
Even the bartender got it.” He shook his head.
“They had him hanging up on the wall. No idea how long he’d been hanging there before someone found him. ”
“That’s crazy.”
“Yeah, poor guy. They made a real mess of his bar. Chairs were thrown all over. Tables and bottles were busted. And blood was everywhere. It’ll take him weeks to get back up and running.”
“You have to wonder what they did to set these guys off.”
“Probably won’t ever know. That’s how it is with these guys.”
Christina muttered, “Jesus,” and then the room fell silent. All you could hear was the sound of her clippers, and now, they suddenly sounded sharper and louder. My pulse thudded in my ears as my mind was bombarded with images I didn’t want to see, much less think about.
Tables and chairs overturned.
Men, broken and bruised, sprawled out on the floor.
A bartender hanging from the wall.
Men’s palms splayed across the bar’s countertop with a knife jabbed in the center, holding them helplessly in place.
My heart was already racing when Luke’s face flashed through my mind. I thought back to the moment when Memphis came up to us at the casino, and the calm intensity in his eyes as he pulled Luke to the side. They both kept their cool, but it was clear something wasn’t right, and then, he was gone.
My chest tightened as all the pieces of the puzzle started to click into place. I was still missing pieces. Big pieces. Pieces that involved me.
His brothers had a fight, and it was clearly a bad one.
But that didn’t explain why he’d been avoiding me.
Curiosity was getting the better of me, so I grabbed my phone from my purse and slipped in back.
I stared at the screen, thinking of what I should say, but everything I thought of made me sound desperate or pathetic.
I didn’t want to take that chance, so I called Lila. It rang a couple of times before she answered, “Hey. I was wondering when I was going to hear from you.”
“Sorry. I’ve been busy with work and everything. Have you talked to Smitty lately?”
“No, he’s ghosted me. I’m not sure why. I guess I’m not his type or whatever.”
“I highly doubt that. There has to be another reason.”
“Maybe. Why don’t you ask Goose about it?”
“You’re calling him Goose now?”
“It seems fitting, especially after hearing why he got the name.”
“Smitty told you?”
“He might’ve mentioned it.” Lila giggled as she said, “I can’t believe he got attacked by an actual goose.”
“Yeah, I know.” I didn’t laugh. I didn’t have it in me. “So, I haven’t heard much from him lately.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s called and texted a few times, but I haven’t actually seen him since we met at the casino.”
“That was only a few days ago.”
“It was a week ago, and he’s not even mentioned us getting together again. I think he’s pulling away.”
“That can’t be right. I saw the way he looked at you. That man’s crazy over you.”
“If that was true, he would want to see me again.”
“Okay, instead of wondering and jumping to conclusions, why don’t you just ask the guy. I mean, you’re both adults here. There’s no reason to drive yourself crazy. Just talk to him.”
“Okay, how do I do that? Do I call him or text him or…”
“You could do that, but if it were me, I’d go have a face-to-face with the guy. Don’t take any lame excuses. Tell him you want to know what’s what and you aren’t leaving until he lays it all out on the table.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“Because it is.” Her tone softened as she said, “Come on, Pres. This is Goose we’re talking about. Not Gary or even some asshole you met at a bar. He’ll talk to you.”
“And you don’t think I’m crazy for even considering this?”
“Oh, you’re definitely crazy. Certifiable even, but that shouldn’t stop you from going to talk to him.”
“Thanks… I think.”
“Just stop overthinking it and go talk to him.”
“Do I call to tell him I’m coming?”
“Nope.” She sounded almost excited as she said, “That will take away from the thrill of discovery.”
“And what if I discover something bad?”
“Then, you drive straight over to the bar, and I’ll drown your sorrows.”
“I’m already dreading this.”
“Stop thinking and move your ass,” she pushed. “El’ pronto!”
“You’re a bit much.”
“And you’re still procrastinating.”
“Fine! I’m going.”
With that, I ended the call and made my way back out front. As I grabbed my purse and keys, I told Christina, “I’m heading out.”
“I thought you had a client coming in.”
“I’ll reschedule.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “I don’t mind covering.”
“That would be amazing.” I paused for a moment, giving her a smile. “You’re the best. Thank you.”
“You’d do the same for me. Now, go do what you gotta do. I’ve got things covered here.”
I gave her a quick wave, then darted out the door.
When I got to my car, it was after four.
I wasn’t sure where Luke would be, so I started with the Vault.
I didn’t see his bike or truck there, so I drove over to the casino.
It was too crowded to search for his vehicle, so I parked and headed inside.
It was the weekend, so it wasn’t surprising that the place was busy. It was always busy, but something underneath all the music and flashing lights felt off, including the three guards that were stationed up front. I’d only been there a couple of times, but I’d never seen them before.
I walked up to the shorter one and asked, “Is Luke working tonight?”
“Don’t know any Luke.”
“He’s tall with shaggy hair. He’s with Fury… they call him Goose.”
That got a reaction. Not surprise exactly. More like amusement. He cocked a brow as he announced, “He doesn’t work here anymore.”
“Oh? Did something happen? Was he fired?”
The man laughed. “No, ma’am. Not a chance. You don’t tell anyone from Satan’s Fury what to do, and you sure as hell don’t fire ‘em.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
Heat crept up my neck as I turned and headed out the front door. By the time I reached the parking lot, my stomach was completely in knots. Something was going on. Something big, and I was more determined than ever to figure out what it was.