Chapter Twenty-five
I had no idea working at a bar could be this much fun.
It’s rowdy, and it’s loud, music blasting through speakers as a couple of people dance on the small, makeshift dance floor set up in front of the band.
Beer is being spilled and people are kissing in the darkened corners of the room, and I haven’t stopped for a single minute since I started my shift three hours ago.
I can totally see why Niamh needed more staff; there’s a full team plus extras and we’re still not getting through the line quick enough.
For a town of this size, it’s a shock to see so many people in one place.
But according to everyone I have spoken to, Sunstone Saloon is the place to be during the summer.
With the live music and open atmosphere, it’s easy to see why people are drawn to this place.
And then there’s Niamh herself, smiling, laughing with her customers as she makes cocktails with precision and keeps her team happy.
Ashley, Niamh’s best friend, bumps my shoulder. “Are you okay?” She asks.
My heart warms. These people are more than just friends; they’re family, and when you get folded into the mix, they treat you exactly the same way.
Not everyone knows my story, but they don’t need to.
They just know I might need a little extra support and give it, no questions asked.
Silas does it often, checks in with me, makes sure I’m okay, and gives even when I know he himself is stretched thin.
Just like this morning, what we had was intense, it was need and desperation, a mess of limbs and moans and kisses but even through it all, he made sure I had what I needed, made sure I knew I was safe with him. It makes my feet itch to get back to him.
It’s a dangerous game to play, but one I’m not willing to back down from.
“I’m better than okay,” I grin at Ashley, “This is insane.”
She chuckles, “This is tame compared to some of the nights we’ve had.”
“Oh, I want to see that,” I move onto the next customer and grab their order.
I’m still pretty new at this, so I’m not as quick as the others behind the bar, but for the most part, people are patient with me and if they’re not, Niamh tends to step in.
She’s a little overprotective, but then so is Roman.
The way that man looks at his wife is intense.
I lose myself in the work over the next couple of hours; the time passing quickly even though the queue for drinks never lets up.
The band flows from one song to the next, working up the crowd each time, clearly born for the stage, and it’s only around midnight when we finally start to see the crowd beginning to thin.
Allowing myself a moment to breathe, I get my station cleaned up, wiping away the spillages on the bar and the ice I threw all over the floor.
“Juni?” A somewhat familiar voice catches my attention just as I’m wiping my hands on a towel.
I lift my eyes to see a pair of blue ones staring back at me, his face niggling at a memory.
I’ve seen him before, but I’m not sure where.
When I continue to frown at him and not answer, he gives me a smile. “It’s Ned. I work for your husband.”
My blood runs cold. That’s where I’ve seen him. Scott Ranch. I only really saw all the guys in passing. Cal didn’t like it, so whenever they did try to talk to me, it was a quick and stifled conversation. I couldn’t tell you what this man did on the ranch, just that he was with Calvin every day.
“What are you doing all the way out here?” Ned asks, tilting a bottle of beer to his lips. “I thought I hadn’t seen you out with Ginger for a while.”
At the mention of my horse, pain flares through my chest. “Is she okay?” I blurt.
“Who?” Ned asks. “Ginger?”
“Yeah,” I squeak.
His head jerks back a little in confusion. “She’s fine. Why wouldn’t she be?”
It brings me a little comfort knowing she’s okay. “No reason.”
“You working here now?” Ned pries. “Cal never mentioned anything. Seems a little out of the way for work.”
Swallowing thickly, I answer. “Just a few shifts. Helping a friend.”
The least amount of information I give him, the better.
I don’t want to outright tell the man I’ve left Cal and never plan on returning, especially if Cal has kept that quiet himself.
It shouldn’t shock me that he hasn’t told people, probably wants to save face.
If I make it simple, like nothing is amiss, maybe he won’t go back to my ex and tell him exactly where he can find me.
I already suspect he knows where I am, that the man who came after me the other night wasn’t random, but what if he doesn’t know? What if this tips him off?
“What are you doing here?” I ask, trying to appear casual.
“Cal didn’t tell you?” Ned frowns, “He wants to open a facility here. Cash in on some of the business that Knight Falls Ranch seems to get.”
At the mention of Knight Falls, my stomach bottoms out.
“Big money,” Ned continues as if the world isn’t crashing beneath my feet. He can’t come here. He’ll poison this place; everything he touches rots from the inside. And even though I have only been here for a little while, I feel like this place is mine. He doesn’t get to come here and take it away.
“Those Knight guys really know what they’re doing,” Ned pushes his empty bottle toward me and I numbly take it, throwing it down into the glass bin beneath the bar, “Cal figured if we opened a school like we have back there, we could double our profits.”
No. No. No.
“Is he here too?” The question slips out, my voice shaking with it, and I know any cover I may have had goes with it.
“No?” he answers like he’s asking a question.
“Juni?” Niamh steps up beside me, startling me a little, and I turn my wide eyes to her.
“I need to go.” My words tumble out.
“Hey,” her eyes flick to Ned and then back to me, “What is it? What did he say?”
“Can I grab another beer?” Ned asks, completely unaware, but he’s distracted on his phone, his thumbs moving over the screen, typing out a message. From this angle, I can just make out the contact name at the top of the screen.
Calvin Scott.
“Serve him,” I whisper to Niamh, “But I need to go. I need to speak to Silas.”
“Okay,” she touches my arm softly, “Let me call him; he can come pick you up.”
“The kids will be asleep,” I rush out, wincing.
I had planned on leaving with Niamh at the end of the night, but this can’t wait.
There’s no way he’s just come up with this bright idea.
And I have to wonder if it’s come about because he knows this is where I am.
He can’t just walk onto Knight Falls, but if he has an excuse to be here…
“Take my truck,” Niamh hands me her keys, “I’ll call Roman to get me.”
“Are you sure?” I hesitate.
“Positive,” she assures me. “It’s parked around the back. I couldn’t get a space on the street.”
“Thank you,” I breathe, grabbing my purse as I slip out from behind the bar and make my way toward the door.
The air is still warm when I get outside, rushing around the side of the building and hit the button on the key to unlock the truck.
The lights flash and just knowing I’ll be able to get to Silas in less than fifteen minutes is enough to settle the anxiety swarming my veins.
I tell myself to breathe, remind myself that I’m safe. Pulling the handle, I climb behind the wheel and turn over the engine, feeling it rumble to life, but just as I am pulling out of the space, I spot a figure standing on the sidewalk across the street.
My blood runs cold when I recognize the familiar bulky shape that looks all types of wrong.
They’ve positioned themselves between two streetlights, the hood of their jacket up to hide their face.
Slowly, they reach into their jacket, and that’s enough to kick me back to reality.
My foot hits the gas pedal, and I don’t wait around to find out what they’re hiding in there.
Tires squeal as I pull out onto the road and gun it away from the bar.
My heart sits in my throat, pulse pumping wildly the entire ride back to the ranch, and I’ve barely got the truck stopped when I’m throwing myself out of it. I rush toward the door, practically falling through it to find Silas on the couch.
He bolts up and is in front of me without me ever needing to utter a word.
“What is it?” He demands, looking behind me through the open door.
“He’s coming,” I rush out. “Calvin is coming here.”
“Breathe, Honeybee,” Silas pushes back the hair that’s fallen around my face, “How do you know this?”
“I saw someone who works for him at the bar,” I press my hand to my stomach as if that may help with the nausea, “He said he was there for Cal, that they were looking at buying property here as a secondary location.”
Silas’s brows twitch, and I can see him working over the information in his head. “Did he touch you?” He asks.
“No.” I shake my head. “But I saw the same person who was here the other night.”
A thundercloud passes over Silas’s eyes, darkening the amber in them. “Where?”
“After I got into the car,” I swallow thickly, “they didn’t do anything. Just stared at me.”
“Stay here,” he commands, moving away from me to grab his boots and hat from the hooks next to the door.
“Where are you going?” I rush to stop him, “Don’t leave, please.”
He halts his movements, his body vibrating when he looks at me again. “Please don’t.” My voice feels too small, too shaky.
“Shit,” he mutters under his breath before he’s back before me, his arms pulling me into him. “Come here, baby, I’ve got you.”
Everything releases all at once, and I bury myself into his chest, letting him hold it all together.