Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Cal
I wait till I hear the lock click behind her before I turn away.
Good girl.
The sound immediately takes me to a place I’ve tried for decades to forget. A different door. A different lock and a different woman, I told her to keep it shut and locked until I came back.
She did.
I didn’t.
I shut the memory down before it can get the rest of the way in. I’ve had practice.
At my feet, Murph whines and nudges my hand, like he knows.
He’s had practice, too.
“Come on, buddy.”
I meant what I told her. I won't be sleeping tonight, not with Ronnie and his buddies all fired up.
They know where I live, and the combination of an embarrassed asshole and alcohol can be unpredictable at best.
I head to the kitchen and pour myself a glass of water, I’m not likely to drink, only because I need to do something with my hands.
What the hell have I done?
I bought a woman. That’s what the fuck I did. There’s no other way to put it. I walked into the bar for a whiskey and walked out two grand poorer with a woman in my passenger seat.
A gorgeous woman.
Gorgeous or not, everything about her screams trouble. I should be staying far, far away from her.
On instinct, I glance towards my closed, locked bedroom door.
There’s no way I could have sat back and watched Hatch and his asshole friends pass her around like she was some kind of prize. And that's probably true for any woman, but there's something extra about her...
“We’re in trouble, buddy.” I scratch Murph’s head and give him a dog biscuit from the jar on the counter.
Because now, she’s in my bed, and whatever sense I thought I had, I left on the bar with my unfinished drink when I walked out with Willow.
My phone on the counter buzzes before I can even finish my thought, which is probably a good thing since I have no idea what the hell I’m going to do with the mess I’ve put myself into.
A few months ago, a phone call interrupting my peace might have been a cause for alarm. But ever since Holt and Luke found themselves women to fall in love with, the two of them suddenly seem to be on a mission to bring that happiness to the rest of us.
I don’t have the heart to tell them that love isn’t in the cards for me.
Not that I should have to. They were both there when I lost everything.
They’ve had front row seats to the wreckage ever since.
More than anyone, they should know exactly how I feel about letting anyone get close enough to get hurt.
But I already know that’s not what this call is about.
I hit the button to accept the call. “Luke.”
“What the hell are you playing at, buddy?”
I press my lips together and shake my head. “Good news travels fast.”
“You should know there’s no such thing as a secret in a town like this,” my buddy says. “Just like you should know not to mess with Hatch and his crew. What the hell were you thinking?”
I blow out a breath. “I was thinking that I couldn’t sit there and let those assholes barter with a woman’s life,” I tell him through clenched teeth. “You would have done the same, and you know it.”
There’s silence on the other end for a moment before, finally, Luke admits. “You’re not wrong.”
“I know.” I run my hand over my face and through my beard. I may not be wrong, but Luke’s not either. I should know better than to mess with Hatch. He’s not the kind of trouble any of us needs.
“So it’s true that you bought a woman off him?”
“Fuck, Luke,” I snap. “Don’t be a dick.”
“Then tell me what happened.” His voice is calm and even, a direct contrast to the anger I’m trying to keep under control. “Because word has it that you won a young woman in a game of darts and then paid him for her. That sounds an awful lot like—”
“Not another word.” My voice is thick with warning.
“I paid off her debt,” I say after swallowing hard.
“Her brother’s debt,” I amend, but don’t bother adding that Ronnie more than tripled the price once it was clear I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
“Those assholes weren’t about to let her walk out of there, and there was no way I was going to sit by and let it happen. But you know me well enough to—”
“I know,” he stops me. “She’s more than safe in your hands,” he finishes. “And you’re right, I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Cal. It’s just… it doesn’t look good.”
“I’m aware of what it looks like.” My gaze darts toward my closed—and locked—bedroom door.
I’m more than aware of what this whole situation looks like, and worse, how Willow is obviously feeling about it.
She’s obviously never had anyone do anything nice for her, only because it was the right thing to do. Especially not a man.
I didn’t miss the way she looked at me.
There’s a long pause on his end. I know my friend well enough to know he’s deciding how hard to push me.
“You good?” he asks finally.
“Fine.”
“You’re sure.”
I blow out a breath. “She’s locked in my bedroom for the night, and I have my eye on the door. She’s safe. I’ll know if anyone comes up here tonight. Not that I really think they’re that stupid.”
“Right,” he says slowly. “I wasn’t worried about her.”
I set the glass down harder than I mean to, and water splashes onto the counter. He’s worried about me, something I haven’t given him cause to be in a long time. And that pisses me off more than it should, because I’d rather he not start worrying about anything he can’t control. Not tonight.
“I’m fine, Luke,” I repeat, this time with an edge he can’t ignore.
He blows out a breath. “Just be careful, buddy. Those men aren’t to be fucked with.”
“I can handle myself.”
“Didn’t say you couldn’t.”
“Right.”
It’s all I have left in me to say.
“I’m just a call away,” he says. “All of us are. You know that.”
“I do.” I scrub my hand over my face. “There’s one more thing. I’m into Hatch for the rest of what I owe, and I don’t keep that kind of cash up here. You headed to the city soon?”
There’s a pause, and then, “Tomorrow.”
“Can you pull a couple grand from my account and bring it up?”
Another pause. “You sure about this, Cal?”
“I’m sure.”
“Then it’s done. I’ll have it in a few days.”
We end the call, and I drop the phone on the counter before dropping my head. Murph leans against my leg, pressing the weight of his body into me until I rest a hand on his head and look up. Outside the window, darkness has fallen, dropping my yard, my shop, and my truck into shadows.
I’m not worried about Hatch and his buddies getting past me. We may be remote up here on the mountain, but we’re not stupid.
When Luke, Holt, Sawyer, Beck, and I bought up these properties years ago, we’d still been young and idealistic about the world. We had dreams that time, and experience hadn’t touched yet. By the time we left the military and settled on Iron Peak properly, things had changed. We’d changed.
Luke installed the state-of-the-art telecommunications system for his finance business, with the added benefit of keeping us all in communication, whether we wanted to be or not. Over the years, we’ve also added security systems.
There’s a difference between living remotely and leaving yourself exposed and vulnerable. We were grumpy mountain men—most of us anyway—not idiots. I value my privacy, and I won’t hesitate to protect it if it ever comes to that.
Eventually, I pick up my glass and move to the oversized chair by the front window and settle in, Murphy at my feet, my eyes on the darkness outside, my mind still fixed on the hesitation in my buddy’s voice when I insisted I was fine.
I know he remembers it almost as clearly as I do.
Over the years, I’ve been able to block out that memory more often than not, but Willow’s face tonight when Hatch laid his grubby hands on her brought all of those memories back in vivid color.
Willow is not her. It’s not the same. Everything about this situation is different.
It’s a lie, and I know it.
The cabin is quiet. I hope Willow was able to settle in okay and get the sleep she needs while I spend my evening staring at the dark road that no one will dare to drive up.
I meant it when I told Luke I didn’t think Hatch was stupid enough to make a move tonight. But that doesn’t mean I think he won’t.
It’s a matter of time.
And hopefully by that time, I’ll have figured out what the hell I’m going to do about it.