Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Her stomach rumbling, May took a detour into Sam’s Tavern and headed up to the counter, where Amka was busily filling mugs of beer.
The place was loud tonight. Glasses clinked, chairs scraped, and laughter rose and fell in uneven bursts.
The scent of fried food, yeast, and spilled ale hung thick in the air. “Hey.”
“Hi.” Amka looked up and brushed a stray lock of dark hair away from her eyes. “Are you hungry?”
“Yeah, but I was going to run down to the Green Plate and get a salad.”
Sam’s Tavern had great food, but salad wasn’t usually the star of the menu. Amka chuckled. “I don’t blame you.” She loaded the beers onto a tray and moved toward the end of the bar, shoulders tight from the weight.
“Hey,” May called after her. “I wasn’t at the office earlier, and I heard you came by.”
Amka returned, her gaze shifting toward a far table packed with tourists. “I made an appointment for tomorrow after the lunch rush.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. I have a couple of questions.” Amka twisted her wrist and then flexed her fingers. “You’ll be there?”
May studied her friend. “Of course I’ll be there. I’ll be there tonight if you want.”
“No.” Amka waved a hand and then stretched her back, wincing.
May’s smile faded. “Oh no. Is your back hurting you again?” Amka had been in an explosion earlier that spring, and she’d had issues since. May had prescribed heat and rest, but she might have to send her to a specialist in one of the cities.
Amka bit her lip. “Definitely.”
“That tray’s not helping.” May understood one of Amka’s fears was not being able to work at the tavern. She loved it there.
“I know, but Daisy’s been busy,” Amka said.
May looked at a trio of men in flannels playing pool by the back door. They had several empty bottles on a table near them. “You should get more help for the summer.”
“I put out a sign, but there aren’t a lot of people in town looking for jobs, believe it or not,” Amka sighed.
May tapped her lips. She’d help, but she was always on call during the summer. During all the seasons, actually. “What about the Miller boys?” The kids stocked the warming huts during the winters and helped shovel driveways after school.
“They started their own landscaping business. They’ve also been giving river rafting tours.”
“That’s actually a good idea.” There was probably a lot more money in landscaping and rafting tours than waitressing. May sighed. “I wish I could help.”
Amka laughed softly. “So do I.” She looked toward the door. “I just don’t want Christian dropping everything to help me. He’s made to be a Wildlife Trooper, and I want him to go to the training without worrying about everything.”
The guy did seem dedicated. “Then you have to be more careful.” May gestured toward the tray. “Get rid of that. From now on, two glasses at a time.”
“I don’t have time for two glasses at a time.”
“Your spine disagrees,” May said.
Amka rolled her eyes and turned away, maneuvering expertly through tables to reach the trio in the back. There had to be something May could do to help. Her mind spinning, she started toward the door.
“May.”
The voice stopped her cold.
She jolted and turned to see Kyle sitting at a table toward the end of the bar. Even seated, he carried an unmistakable presence. Calm. Polished. Controlled. The hum of conversation seemed to bend around him. He smiled. “It’s so good to see you. Why don’t you join me for dinner?”
His two staff members hovered nearby, dressed down today in Dockers and polo shirts, playing darts but watching everything.
“I don’t think so, Senator,” she said politely.
Kyle pushed a stack of papers away. “Actually, you might want to reconsider.” His voice dropped low.
A prickle of warning spread through her. She hated that voice. Ace’s voice could go low and so could all of the Osprey men’s tones. But Kyle’s carried something else. Something colder and calculated.
She walked toward him anyway, her pulse ticking faster with each step. “I take it your hand is hurting you.”
Kyle glanced down at the bandage on his right hand. “No. You did a good job with that.”
She crossed her arms. How in the world had she even liked him at one time? “Why were you punching walls anyway?”
“My private life is no longer any of your business,” he said smoothly.
“Fair enough.” Her tone cooled. “What do you want? I have to get going.”
He studied her face, his cold eyes unreadable. Up close, he looked exactly as he always had. Immaculate with his dark hair perfectly in place. He didn’t wear a tie tonight, but the pressed polo shirt screamed power just the same. “You’re avoiding me.”
“I’m busy.”
“That’s not an answer.”
May held his stare. The noise of the tavern faded into background static. “You didn’t ask a question.”
Kyle’s mouth twitched, not quite a smile. “Still stubborn.”
“Still breathing.”
One of his staff shifted near the dartboard, pretending not to listen.
Kyle rested his forearms on the table. As usual, he was both tan and muscled. The senator liked to work out and look good in all of those pictures. “Did you honestly think I wouldn’t find you?”
“I didn’t give you a thought once I left.”
His chin lifted. “We both know that’s a lie.”
Yeah, but he thought she missed him. That wasn’t it. Not at all. She blew out air. “I figured you’d find some other woman to look good on your arm, Senator.” Her fingers curled slightly against her sleeves. Old irritation stirred inside her, way too familiar.
Kyle’s gaze flicked briefly to the bar, then back to her. “Maybe I’ve missed you.”
“That’s unfortunate and you need to move on.” She caught sight of a group of younger adults sitting around a table near the fireplace, all staring into their beers. They were more subdued than the rest of the crew in the bar. Were they Laura’s friends?
Kyle gave his smoothest smile. “We need to talk. Just join me for dinner, all right?”
“No. What do you want?” May wasn’t playing his games.
He sighed, glancing around the tavern. No one seemed to be paying attention.
The crowd buzzed with its own noise. Glasses clinked.
A burst of laughter erupted near the dartboard.
“We took pictures today, and we need more showing the gorgeous scenery around here. I’d love to have you in a few photographs.
We’re going fishing tomorrow, and I want you to come. ”
May crossed her arms. “No.” She’d learned early on to be direct with him, regardless of his reaction. Otherwise he’d twist her words against her. The guy was a master at it.
A look entered his eyes that had her spine stiffening. “All right. I wanted to express some concern.”
“Really?” She nodded toward his bandaged hand. “You said your hand felt fine.”
“Oh, it does.” He looked down briefly. “I’m concerned on two levels.
First, that you’re the only medical professional for this entire region.
That’s too much for one person.” He paused, his handsome face settling into an expression that almost looked sincere.
“Especially someone who has had…shall we say…mental problems.”
She burst out laughing. A few heads turned before drifting away again. “Mental problems?”
Kyle’s gaze didn’t waver. “You think I didn’t get your medical records?”
The smile stayed on her mouth even as cold slid through her. “That’s a HIPAA violation.”
“Even so,” he said calmly, “if someone anonymously leaks that to the newspaper here—or in Anchorage or Fairbanks—and questions your stability, it could turn into a serious issue.”
May’s spine straightened. “There’s nothing wrong with me.” She stood steady in white tennis shoes, jeans, and her favorite short-sleeved black shirt. Comfortable. Casual. Off duty, technically. Though she was always on call.
Kyle’s brows lifted. “We both know that’s not true.”
She tried for a bored look but wasn’t sure she managed to pull it off. Sure, she’d had panic attacks and had even seen a counselor for a while. Who hadn’t? She encouraged her patients to do the same. If she could get Ace to talk to someone, she’d call it a win.
Kyle tapped the papers stacked in front of him. “There’s information in here you wouldn’t want to get out.”
“Whatevs,” she said, channeling the kids in town. “Only healthy people seek help when they need it, and I did so to handle panic attacks. I don’t care who knows it.”
He smiled then. “Just panic attacks? I’m sure your records show a lot more red flags than that.”
Dread ticked through her stomach. “Then you had them falsified.” Could he do that? Sure, he was a senator and had connections, but medical records were tough to mess with.
“Well,” Kyle said softly, “you’d have to prove that, wouldn’t you?”
She was so finished being afraid of this asshat. She leaned forward, palms pressing against the table. “You’re running for office, Senator. Any type of scandal could take you out. You know how politics work. Do you really want to fuck with me?”
Kyle blinked rapidly, shock flashing across his face before being quickly banked. “I see you’ve grown some teeth out here in the wilderness.”
“I always had teeth. I just never bothered to use them on you.” She stepped back and kept her gaze hard. “You want to bring it on, Kyle? Do it. I’ll take your political career down in a heartbeat.”
Kyle scoffed. “You don’t have anything.”
May smiled slowly. “Are you kidding? With all these influencers around here, all it takes is an accusation. I don’t need proof.”
The words hung between them.
True. Ugly. Dangerous.
Kyle’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t ask about my second concern.”
She knew she wasn’t going to like this. “What would that be?”
“My understanding is that you’re pretty good friends with the Osprey brothers.
” He sounded smooth and polished. “As I already noted, Alaska doesn’t allow for sheriffs.
Nobody’s pushed it, but I have no problem showing my concern publicly and loudly in the state’s capital.
I am concerned about Knife’s Edge, naturally. ”