Chapter 5
5
HOPE
I came to with a start when icy water splashed across my face.
Someone stood over me, dark and menacing, with an empty glass in their hand. “Wakey, wakey.”
Ugh . This fucking guy.
“Grim?” I croaked as my vision cleared.
“Grim.” He repeated the word as though testing how it sounded. “All right. I’ll take it.”
There was a smear of blood beneath his nose as well as a cut to his lip. His tattooed knuckles were purple and red.
He placed the glass on the bar and crossed his huge arms over his chest. “That was stupid of you.”
Whatever I’d expected him to say, it wasn’t that. Yet I got the feeling I shouldn’t be surprised by anything that came from this man’s mouth.
The last thing I remembered was trying to save his ass from being stabbed. As far as I could tell, the only stupid thing I’d done was not letting Big Nose follow through with it.
I stared at Grim in confusion, so he added, “When shit got crazy, you should’ve hidden.”
“I had it under control.”
“Oh yeah? Even when you were seconds from blowing a man’s dick to shreds?”
“He deserved it,” I said through clenched teeth.
“He deserved worse. But all four of them were armed. What would’ve happened after you pulled the trigger?” Grim aimed a meaningful look at me.
Darn it. He was right. I might’ve been able to take down one or two of those jerks, but if Grim hadn’t stepped in, I’d probably be lying in a pool of my own blood right now. It didn’t mean I needed to give him the satisfaction of conceding his point.
I sat up and instantly regretted it when the crown of my head throbbed. “Ow.” I groaned and rubbed the lump beneath my hair. “What happened to me?”
“Gonzo tripped you. You hit your head on the counter on your way down.”
After rising to my feet with the speed of a sloth, I made my way to a barstool. “And the wannabes?”
“The what?”
“The baby cartel gangbangers.”
One corner of his mouth lifted. “Gone.”
“Gone? Like…to the afterlife?” It was a valid question because Grim had all the hallmarks of a killer. Brutal, unforgiving, and a flagrant disregard for the consequences of combining the two. “Did you find your scythe and escort them to the underworld while I was unconscious?”
He smiled, and it did something strange to my insides. “Unfortunately, they’re still breathing, but they left town in a hurry. Have they been through here before?”
“Not that I know of. But after what just happened, they’ll be back, and they’ll bring more with them.”
Shit. This was bad. Really bad. The wannabes would be butt hurt over getting their asses whupped and come looking for revenge. That was the last thing this village needed, and God knew a Pacific Coast Cartel infestation was problematic for my own personal reasons.
None of their soldiers would recognize me, but if things got out of hand and it drew the attention of the cartel’s upper ranks, there was a chance one of them might. It was a small risk, but the consequences would be catastrophic.
Grim made a gruff noise in the back of his throat. “Maybe. But you’ve got a bigger problem.”
I tensed. “What do you mean?”
“Those guys showing up here wasn’t a coincidence. The cartel’s been moving into villages along this stretch of coastline, and if they want to own Playa de la Palmera, soon enough, they will. You can kiss goodbye to your sleepy village, because they’ll send in whatever force necessary to make it happen.”
This information was terrifying, but…wasn’t Grim a little too up-to-date on local issues?
“How do you know all of this?” I asked.
His face tightened. “It’s probably best if you don’t know.”
A bullshit answer if ever I’d heard one. Who was this guy, and what was he really doing here?
More importantly, why did my stomach barrel-roll every time his eyes landed on mine? It was confusing as hell. Men with Grim’s capacity for violence reminded me of a time and place in my life that I never wanted to return to.
How could I be drawn to someone like him? I should want a man like Enrique. Safe. Predictable. Kind.
But Enrique doesn’t make your coochie flutter.
Shut up, hormones.
I rested my elbows on the bar and felt something sticky.
Ew .
I reared back and wiped the wetness on my apron. “Why is there blood on the counter?”
A cocky grin emerged on Grim’s face. “I’m glad you asked.”
“You know what?” I held up a palm. “I don’t want to know.”
“Are you sure? It’s a fun story.”
“I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.”
“Disappointing.” He had the gall to look hurt. “Let me take a look at that bump.” Without waiting for permission, he shifted behind me and prodded the sore spot.
“Ouch!” I hissed. “That hurts.”
“Like I said. You should’ve hidden.” He paid me no mind and continued assessing the area. “Do you feel nauseous?”
“No.”
“Dizzy?”
“A little.”
“How many fingers am I holding up?” Grim stood in front of me and flipped me the bird.
I rolled my eyes and aimed one right back at him.
“Then I think you’ve escaped a concussion, but you should still get someone to take a look at the swelling.” He leaned over the bar, scooped up a handful of ice, and wrapped it in a kitchen towel. He tried to press it to my head, but I gave him a dirty look and stole it from him. “I don’t suppose there’s a clinic open at this hour?” he asked.
Technically, there wasn’t a clinic in town. Unofficially, Daphne’s dog rescue saw patients with four legs or two. She didn’t have her medical license anymore, but neither the dogs nor humans in the village were concerned by that, especially since she didn’t charge a dime for her services.
“I live with a doctor. I’ll get her to check it when I get home. You look worse than me.” I gestured to the Coca-Cola mirror behind the bar so he could inspect his wounds.
When he glanced at his reflection, he said, “It’s nothing.” Then he plucked a napkin from the dispenser and wiped blood from beneath his nose.
I grabbed another napkin. “You’ve got some on the back of your neck, too.” When I tried to dab it away, Grim flinched as though I held a razor blade between my fingers.
I drew back. “Easy, big guy. I was just going to clean you up.”
“I can do it.” He snatched the napkin and wiped his neck.
“A little lower.” I pointed to the spot. “There. You got it.”
He tossed the dirty napkin onto the counter.
I curled my hair behind one ear. “I appreciate you stepping in, by the way.”
He shrugged while pressing another napkin to his cut lip. “I had fun.”
Fun?
When he noticed me looking at him strangely, he added, “I needed to blow off a little steam.” Then he glanced at the quiet, dark street outside the restaurant. “You probably shouldn’t drive home in case I’m wrong about that concussion. Is there someone who can give you a ride?”
Daphne would be in bed. She was still recovering from a recent MS flare-up and needed her rest. I didn’t want to disturb her.
“I’ll get myself home.”
“I’ll take you.”
“No thanks.”
He stared at me as though I were inconveniencing him by refusing his offer. “Are you one of those girls who makes everything difficult?”
Wow .
“Are you one of those guys who’s always an asshole?”
“Yeah,” he said with such confidence that it took the sting out of my words.
Damn, he was tough to insult.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes because dealing with Grim would’ve given me a headache even if I hadn’t hit my head. “No offense, but I don’t know you, and I don’t feel safe getting in a car with you.”
He folded his arms. “I just saved your ass. Do you really think I’m about to hurt you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Are you?”
His lips twitched. “Not unless you ask nicely.”
My brow furrowed. “You might be the most confusing person I’ve ever met.”
“Think about it. I had the perfect opportunity to attack you when I first got here, and I could’ve easily thrown you into my truck while you were out cold. And if I’m being completely honest, you’re kind of a pain in the ass, so if this were a kidnapping, I definitely would’ve bound and gagged you by now.”
My face went deadpan. “Your disturbing thought processes aren’t reassuring at all.”
But his logic was sound. How irritating.
“What about a compromise,” Grim offered. “I’ll follow you in my car to make sure you get home safely.”
“That’s really not?—”
“It’s happening. Let’s go.”
This was about to become a very uncomfortable journey.
Grim leaned over the bar, grabbed my purse, and tossed it into my lap. How had he known exactly where to find it? I wasn’t sure I was prepared for the answer to that.
I was in no state to clean up the mess in the restaurant, so the bloodstains and strewn furniture would have to wait until morning. I headed for the door, and Grim followed. He stood nearby while I switched off the lights and locked up.
“Where’s your car?” He glanced up and down the empty street. I assumed the sole vehicle parked across from the restaurant was his.
“That’s my ride.” I gestured to the beat-up mountain bike leaning against the wall.
He glared at the bike like it’d somehow offended him, then planted his feet wide and stared me down. “Absolutely not.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” He strode to my bike, picked it up as if it were made of twigs, and unceremoniously dumped it into the bed of his ginormous pickup.
“Hey!” I stormed after him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Get in the truck.”
“I told you I’m fine?—”
He spun fast and leaned down so we were eye to eye. “And I told you to get in the truck, Hope.”
I froze at the sound of my name on his lips, then narrowed my eyes. “I never told you my name.” It was definitely the first time he’d called me something other than Gatita.
Grim straightened to his full height. “Sure you did.”
“No. I did not.”
He shrugged. “Lucky guess.”
“You shithead.” I lunged to shove him, but he leapt out of the way. “You went through my things while I was unconscious, didn’t you?”
“You would’ve done the same.”
“No, I wouldn’t, because I have respect and decency. You might want to Google what they mean.”
He made an irritated face like I was the one being unreasonable. “We don’t have all night. Get in the truck.”
“No.” I balled my hands into fists. Grim’s jaw tensed as though no one had ever had the audacity to say that to him before. Since he looked like he could dismember people with his bare hands, maybe no one ever had. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“You want a choice? How about this? You can either get in the truck, or I’ll throw you over my shoulder and give you the same treatment as that death trap of a bike. Your pick. For the record, I’m really hoping you’ll go with the second option.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me and find out.”
My eye spasmed. My heart palpitated. I was pretty certain my soaring blood pressure was about to tear open several of my arteries.
“You were out cold barely ten minutes ago,” Grim added. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to ride a shitty bike along dark roads when your head is probably still pounding?”
I wasn’t sure if he was more annoying when being an asshole or when making sound arguments that almost implied he cared about my safety.
I massaged my temple, letting go of some of my anger. This guy was a master at pushing my buttons, and I had a feeling that seeing me all worked up gave him an unhealthy amount of enjoyment. “I don’t even know your name.”
“Vaughn Decker.” He opened the passenger door and glared at me. “Now get in the goddamn truck before I have the absolute pleasure of manhandling your ungrateful ass in there.”