Chapter 29
“If you put a dart in my hand, don’t be surprised when I hit you with it.” ~ Dakota
Dakota
Z ane skips to a stop in front of my desk. “Come along, little sister.”
My heart skips a beat – little sister? Does he consider me family? Before I melt into a pile of happy goo on the floor, I sass at him. “I’m pretty sure I’m older than you.”
He pats the top of my head. “But you’re cute.”
I roll my eyes. “I’ll show you how cute I am when I prank you.”
He rubs his hands together. “Another prank war? I’m in.”
Rhett growls as he pushes Zane away from my desk. “Stop bothering Dakota.”
“I’m not bothering her. I’m kidnapping her.”
I giggle. “Kidnapping me? Where are we going?”
“It’s Friday.”
“And?”
Miles strolls into the reception area. “Friday means Rumrunner. ”
“Rumrunner? Are we going to smuggle illegal alcohol? And here I thought Buccaneer’s Whiskey was a legit business.”
“It is a legit business,” Rhett insists.
“Color me confused.”
Zane picks up a marker from my desk. “Blue okay?”
Rhett slaps the marker out of his hand. “You aren’t coloring Dakota’s face.”
“Spoilsport. I was merely going to draw a little bird on her face.”
Rhett crosses his arms over his chest and glares at his younger brother. “A bird? Or the bird?”
Zane shrugs. “Does it matter?”
I open my drawer and throw all of my colored markers in it. Fun is one thing. Having someone draw on your face with permanent marker is another.
The door opens and Kai sticks his head inside. “Are we going or are you going to babble like a bunch of old women all day?”
“We’re waiting for Dakota,” Miles says.
“Waiting for me?” I’m confused. The brothers don’t usually invite me on their escapades.
“You’re one of the family now, sis.”
My heart doesn’t just skip a beat at Miles’s explanation. It goes completely bananas, thumping away. I’ve never had a family before. I thought Adam would be my family. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Am I wrong now? Am I making a mistake? Should I not trust Rhett and his brothers?
Rhett kneels in front of me. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, Havoc. I know my brothers are a bit much to handle.”
“Hey!” Kai shouts. “I resemble that remark.”
I bite my lip as I study his brothers – Miles, Kai, and Zane. Should I go? Or should I keep my heart safe from this family?
Miles presses his hands together. “Please, Dakota. Please come with.”
“Yea.” Zane nods. “Big brother will be all grumpy if you don’t join us.”
“You want me to come with?” I need to be sure.
Kai rolls his eyes. “Of course, we do. You’re our little sister. We haven’t had one of those before.”
“Hey!” Paisley strolls out of Eli’s office. “What am I?”
“Smart enough to stay away from these yahoos,” Eli says as he follows her.
Kai skips to Paisley. “You’re our big sister. Dakota is our little sister.”
Eli pushes Kai away from Paisley, and Kai chuckles in response. “You’re whipped.”
“It’s going to be fun watching you fall in love,” Eli mutters.
Kai wags a finger at him. “Not my turn.” He motions to Rhett and me. “Theirs.”
Rhett’s hand on my thigh tightens. “Do not scare, Dakota.”
I pat his shoulder. “They’re not scaring me.” They’re terrifying me. But in a good way. I stand. “Let’s go smuggle some illegal booze.”
Paisley giggles. “You fit right in.”
“We don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” Rhett insists. “We can spend a quiet evening watching a movie or having a nice dinner.”
I kiss his cheek. “I…” I snap my mouth shut. I nearly told Rhett I love him for worrying about me. But I don’t love him. I couldn’t possibly love him. I know better than to fall for the first man to give me attention after Adam died.
Rhett smiles down at me. “You what?”
My breath gets caught in my throat as those piercing blue eyes concentrate on me. Apparently, I don’t know better than to fall in love. Because this man – this controlling man who I swore would never control me – owns my heart.
“I-I-I want to go,” I stutter.
His smile widens. “Then, we go.”
Eli herds everyone out of the office and soon enough we’re walking down an alley in Smuggler’s Rest.
“Where are we going?” I ask. “I was joking about smuggling alcohol. I can’t get another strike on my record.”
Rhett squeezes my hand. “ Rumrunner is a speakeasy.”
Now I remember. Sadie told me about the place ages ago. I nearly forgot. This is so exciting. An honest to goodness speakeasy. This island is the coolest. “Seriously? Do we need a code word?”
He chuckles. “Locals don’t need a code word.”
“I’m not a local.”
He scowls. “You live here. You’re a local.” He halts and twirls me around until I’m standing in his arms. “Who made you feel unwelcome?”
“Unwelcome?”
“It’s okay, Dakota.” He brushes the hair out of my face. “You can tell me.”
“No one’s made me feel unwelcome. Unless we count the time this big grouch knocked on my car window and scared the crap out of me.”
He frowns. “I’m sorry, Havoc. I didn’t mean to scare you. I was an asshole.”
I grin up at him. “It’s good you’re aware of your asshole tendencies.”
“My asshole tendencies. I’ll show you my asshole tendencies when I…” He leans down to whisper in my ear. “…don’t let you come for a very long time tonight.”
I shiver. I’ll never admit it out loud, but I love it when he takes control in the bedroom. After being married to Adam, who controlled our finances and therefore thoroughly screwed me over, I’m surprised I can give any man control. But Rhett isn’t any man.
“I’m not the only one who won’t be coming tonight. I have to work in a few hours.”
He growls. “You should let me help you pay your bills.”
I roll my eyes. “We’ve been over this. I can handle my problems myself. I don’t need some big, growly man to step in.”
“But you admit I’m big.”
I roll my eyes. “Such a man.”
“Lovebirds!” Miles waves from where he’s holding a door open.
I grasp Rhett’s hand and drag him toward the door. In my rush, I trip on air and stumble. Rhett catches me before I fall on my face.
“Easy there, Havoc.”
I point to the ground. “It came up and bit me.”
He chuckles. “Sure, it did.”
We step inside the bar and my mouth drops open. This place is cool. Dim lighting flickers from antique sconces and casts a golden hue over the dark wooden interior. The walls are exposed brick, and behind the bar, there are mahogany shelves stacked high with aged liquor bottles. I feel as if I’ve stepped back in time to the Prohibition.
Paisley captures my hand and tugs me away from Rhett. “You have to see this.”
“What?” I ask as I stumble to keep up with her.
She points to the bar. Kai is leaning over it while chatting with the bartender.
“What’s happening? What am I watching?”
She giggles. “Kai striking out with the owner, Harper.”
I gasp. “It’s possible for a Raider brother to strike out?”
She shakes her head. “You’ve got it bad for Rhett.”
I elbow her. “At least his assistant didn’t catch us going at it in his office.”
Her cheeks darken. “Only because he doesn’t have an assistant.”
She’s wrong. Rhett and I haven’t removed our clothes in his office. Not for lack of trying on his part. But I know better. The locks on the office doors are flimsy. Not to mention, all of the Raider brothers know how to pick locks and have no qualms about eavesdropping.
“Dakota!” Rhett motions me toward him.
Paisley grins as we walk toward the group of men. “This should be fun.” She rubs her hands together. “What’s the betting starting at?”
“The betting?”
She motions to the dartboards. “The betting for who wins.”
I hold up my hands and retreat a few steps. “I’m not playing darts.”
Kai slaps a set of darts into my hand. “If I have to play, so do you.”
“What’s wrong, little brother?” Zane asks. “Did the bartender not fall at your feet?”
Kai scowls. “Harper isn’t the bartender. She’s the owner.”
While Miles and Zane tease Kai, I inch toward Rhett.
“I shouldn’t be playing darts,” I whisper to him.
He squeezes my shoulder. “There’s no reason to be nervous. You’re part of this family now.”
As much as I want to enjoy his words, I can’t. Not when I’m holding these death missiles in my hand.
“Jaxon doesn’t have to play.” I glance around. “He’s your brother and he’s not even here.”
Rhett frowns. “Jaxon is an exception to every rule.”
“But I—"
“Dakota!” Eli calls. “You’re up first.”
Rhett steers me toward the start line. He stands behind me and lifts my hand. “Grip the dart with three fingers. Let me show you.” He loosens my grip. “Steady but not too tightly.”
“Okay.” I breathe out. I can do this. I can throw a dart and not injure anyone.
“Raise the dart to eye level and tilt the tip upward, aligning it with your target on the board.”
Once I’ve followed his instructions, he steps away. “Now throw the dart with your hand and wrist, snapping your wrist as you…”
I miss the rest of what he’s saying as I throw the dart. It flies into the air. But it’s not heading in the direction of the board. It’s aiming straight for Kai.
“Duck!” I yell.
Kai glances over his shoulder and – bam! – the dart hits him in the face. He grabs his nose as blood spurts out. I rush toward him but he waves me away.
“I believe there’s a first aid kit behind the bar.” He saunters toward the bar with a smirk on his face.
I stare after him. “Is he seriously using an injury to gain favor with a woman?”
Miles and Zane hurry after him. “Let’s find out.”
I shake my head and Rhett wraps an arm around my shoulders. “I don’t think you have a future as a dart champion.”
“I warned you.”
He barks out a laugh. “I didn’t think you’d try to take out Kai.”
I huff. “I didn’t try to take him out. If I wanted to take him out, he wouldn’t be flirting with the owner.”
“You’re cute when you lie.”
“I bet you say that to all the women.”
“Nope.” He kisses my nose. “There’s only one woman I think is cute. One woman I want to spend my time with.”
My heart thumps in my chest. Does he mean he…? He can’t possibly. No. Rhett can’t love me. I glance up at him from beneath my lashes. His blue eyes sparkle as he smiles at me.
Maybe he does love me. Maybe there is a happily ever after in my future after all.