2. Austin
Austin
F or three hours, McKenna and Brynne talked about everything besides what was important. Besides the fact that someone had her on their radar. The woman’s life was just threatened, and she was sitting around like it was a letter from an estranged cousin or something.
I didn’t miss the way her mouth smacked on that gum, or how she kept twiddling the end of her high ponytail around her manicured finger.
There were signs that she was unnerved, but she tried to hide them.
From where I sat in the kitchen, with a full view of the two of them as they chatted away on the living room sofa, I saw each and every tick of hers, which meant Brynne had to as well.
Once McKenna left, there was no doubt that Brynne would stomp over to Booker and demand he do something.
We were likely the reason she received the note in the first place, anyway.
After having killed the man in charge of some twisted gambling scheme, I figured we’d have people on our asses.
I just didn’t expect them to target the blonde .
After hours of talking, the two of them finally stood, making their way toward the front door.
I perched on the kitchen stool, pretending I wasn’t paying attention.
All I’d done while eavesdropping was scroll through our spreadsheet for the ranch—up and down, not seeing a damn number or word through the hazy need to sort this note out now .
Booker was giving Brynne her privacy with McKenna, and Henley had left without a word after taking a quick shower.
I was pissed as fuck that I seemed to be the only one wanting to talk about the damn paper.
This wasn’t just another fucking Tuesday, assholes.
This was her life we were playing with. And now she was going to leave and go about her damn night like nothing happened.
That was how people ended up dead in a fucking ditch.
As soon as Brynne said her goodbyes at the door and headed up the stairs, I didn’t waste a second before shutting the laptop and following McKenna.
She was descending the last step as I opened the front door and stepped outside.
“You need to be careful,” I warned, shutting the door behind me a little too hard.
“I’m always careful, cowboy,” McKenna shot back, not bothering to look over her shoulder as she continued toward her SUV.
Pressing my lips into a firm line, I hurried down the steps, only stopping once her arm was in my grasp and I was spinning her around. I ignored the strawberry scent that wafted off her like a siren’s call. “Whoever wrote that note isn’t happy with you.”
She smiled. Fucking smiled . “Not many people are. ”
I dropped her arm, crossing my own. My mouth opened to speak, but before any words could come out, she cut me off.
“And don’t tell me you have a plan. Especially one that involves me moving in with you like Brynne did with Booker, because I can already tell you, it’s not fucking happening. I like my closet space.”
I let out a humorless laugh, tongue darting over my lips as I looked out at the fields behind her, begging them for an ounce of patience. “Of course, you do.”
Her arms crossed her chest to mimic my stance. “Don’t pretend to care, Austin. Maybe other girls have told you the whole protective asshole act is a cute look or whatever, but for me, it’s downright vomit-inducing.”
My brows shot up, eyes trained on her again. “Vomit-inducing?”
She dipped her chin, her gaze doing a quick once-over. “You heard me.”
I ran a hand through my hair, looking out at the horses grazing by the fence. In the dim light of the moon, I could just make out their silhouettes.
If she wanted to be difficult, then so be it. I’d show her exactly why that wasn’t a wise choice.
“Alright.”
She blinked, like she wasn’t expecting me to concede so easily, but quickly masked it with another tip of her chin. “Good. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date.”
I rolled my lips together as she turned on her heel and continued on her way. I watched her ass sway in that little skirt of hers, watched her long legs move with each step toward her vehicle, and with each one, I knew for certain she didn’t have a date. She was only trying to get under my skin.
Before she was in her car, I headed back inside.
If she wanted to play, I’d play.
Unfortunately for her, though, she may not like my methods.
That was what made the game so fun.
It was the sixth time Marv, McKenna’s boss and owner of the diner where she worked, had stolen a glance at her ass.
No, that was being polite.
It wasn’t a glance.
It was a full-on gawk. An adjustment of his cock each time. A bob of his throat as he swallowed.
My teeth had to be ground to the base at this point, and it wasn’t because of the cold. I’d nearly cracked one of them when she bent over to grab a fork off the ground and Marv palmed his crotch. It took everything in me not to kill him right there in front of everyone.
The waitresses’ attire was inappropriate at best, but it seemed none of the patrons minded, given Marv’s Diner was one of the only places to eat in town.
My knuckles ached with how tightly I was clenching them.
I’d been standing on the other side of the road, watching her through the window, for the entirety of her shift two days after she visited the ranch.
Not once did she bother looking through the dirty glass, as if her life wasn’t in danger and she shouldn’t be checking over her shoulder.
She was too fucking naive to think this wouldn’t go anywhere, and I was going to prove her wrong. She didn’t want to watch her back? I’d give her a reason to.
It was dark now, the temperature dropping as soon as the sun went behind the mountain bordering one side of the town.
But knowing McKenna, she’d walk out of that diner in her tiny little skirt and too-tight top and make her way to her car without a single second glance.
She’d either die of hypothermia if someone knocked her out, or get stabbed walking alone in the dark.
Another hour ticked by, then she finally undid the knot on her apron, saying something to a coworker before heading through the door to the kitchen.
That was my cue.
I slid the skeleton mask on my face, adjusting it before tossing my hood over my head. I looked both ways, crossing the street to stop at the head of the alley at the back of the building. Then I waited, my shoulder pressed up against the brick as I listened for the door to open.
It swung fast—McKenna showed no hesitation as she stepped into the alley and headed my way.
Could she be any more fucking oblivious?
What part of she needed to be careful did she not understand?
The woman hadn’t bothered to watch her surroundings all day, and now here she was, traipsing through a dark-ass alley like it was a field of freshly bloomed flowers.
She headed the opposite way of where I was positioned, toward where she’d parked her car at the beginning of her shift. The heavy door slammed shut as she rounded the corner, and I followed.
With my hands tucked in my pockets, I gained on her easily, and not once did those blue eyes make an appearance over her shoulder.
She was going to regret that.
She paused a good distance from her car, the single street light flickering twenty feet away as she fished for her keys in her purse. She should have already had them out, but like with everything else, she wasn’t thinking.
She let out a small curse, shoving shit aside in that bag of hers, and then I was on her.
I wrapped an arm around her waist as I simultaneously covered her mouth with my hand.
She let out a muffled scream, and I pinned her front to the car.
Her mouth opened, teeth finding my glove and biting down hard.
She didn’t pierce my skin, but at least she was attempting to fight.
How cute.
“Not being very careful now, are you, kitten?”
Her body froze at the sound of my voice, her breathing still hard and frantic from the sudden panic.
From where my other hand was plastered to her ribs, I could feel her heart beating rapidly. Her nostrils flared as she tried to catch her breath with her arms pinned between her body and the car.
I spun her around, keeping my hand over her mouth, but now her back was pressed to the cold vehicle.
I leaned in, my mask grazing her cheek. “I could gut you where you stand and no one would know,” I murmured. I inhaled, catching the delicious scent of strawberry again.
My hand slid from her mouth down her jaw, fingers pressing against the pulse in her neck. “If I had a knife, I’d aim right here. ”
“Get off me,” she hissed, chest rising and falling quickly.
“Would an attacker who wanted you dead listen to such a simple demand?”
She froze. “Austin?—”
“I’m not Austin,” I ground out. “I’m the guy who’s going to stab you in the fucking spine if you don’t watch your fucking back. Now do something about it.”
But she didn’t react. She just stood there, like a deer in the headlights. Behind my mask, I studied her. Wide blue eyes, her ponytail falling slightly from her brief struggle. Her lips were full. Pink. Perfect.
I tilted my head, my fingers leaving her pulse to trail down to her collarbone. “Did I scare you, my pretty McKenna?”
She didn’t react to the name. “No.”
I hummed, my touch moving to hover over her heart. Right over her breast. “Your heart betrays you.”
“This isn’t funny, Austin,” she spat, jumping out of her stupor and shoving at my chest. I didn’t move.
“Is that all you got, kitten?”
Her mouth pursed before she rolled her eyes. “I’m not doing this with you.”
“Doing what? Walking the fine line between life and death?”
She groaned, arching her neck back to lean her head against the car. “God, you’re so dramatic.”
I grabbed her chin, pulling her back to look at me. Her jaw was firm, her eyes blazing with annoyance.