Chapter 10
PRESLEY
Why did I ever listen to Leo?
I dropped my gaze from the mirror and stared at the napkin on the bar. Was it too late to cancel my order? My stomach growled but a cheeseburger didn’t sound appetizing anymore. I didn’t want to be here by myself anyway, but especially if Shaw was here with Dacia—holy shit, she’s pretty—French.
Why did it hurt to see them together? Of course he’d be with a movie star. He was a movie star. I kept forgetting.
Lately, he’d just become . . . Shaw. My wickedly sexy, flirtatious neighbor.
Dacia was stunning. Her long, blond hair was shiny and thick. It was actually similar to the hair I’d once had. She was tall though, and she had breasts bigger than B cups. Standing beside Shaw, with her lips at his ear, they were the perfect pair.
I raised my hand to snag the bartender’s attention from where she was talking to another customer. “Can I get my order to go?”
She smiled. “Sure, hon.”
I should have just gone home after work, but Leo’s words from this morning had been playing in my head all day.
Don’t hide away from the world, Pres. Don’t let Jeremiah win.
I didn’t think I was hiding, but Leo had made some good points.
I used to be out, visible in town more often.
I loved grabbing a coffee at the coffee shop on Saturday mornings and meandering along Central, especially in the summer.
But since the wedding, I hadn’t set foot downtown unless it had been to stop by the bank and make the garage’s deposits.
I’d been humiliated and hiding my bruised heart at home, like my mother had done with her black-and-blues.
I refused to become my mother.
So here I was, not hiding, still humiliated, but the agony had faded.
Leo had told me to stop worrying about gossip and other people’s opinions. He was right. Who cared if people whispered behind my back? Eventually, it would stop if I showed the world I was happy on my own. But if I became a hermit, the pity would continue. I’d be that broken woman who avoided life.
So after work tonight, I’d gone to get a burger rather than escape into chores at home.
I had to wash my bedding tonight. Leo’s drool was probably on my pillow along with the stale scent of blood and wind.
After he’d apologized and hugged me, he’d nearly passed out from exhaustion.
Staying up all night, riding to Ashton and beating the shit out of my ex-fiancé before riding home could really wear a guy out.
I’d pushed him toward my bed and told him to take a nap while I went to work.
While I did the wash, I’d eat my burger. Alone.
Stockyard’s wasn’t as busy as the diner. This was a bar with bar food, but their burgers were delicious and the owners made sure families were welcome. The room was dimly lit and quiet music played over the speakers. The only thing I didn’t like was the poker table at the back.
This had been Jeremiah’s preferred poker stop. He used to bring me a burger and fries on the nights when he’d get home before midnight. We’d eat them together on the couch while he’d tell me about his game.
The appeal of the game eluded me, no matter how many times he explained the rules and strategy. But I’d been innately supportive, like my mother.
Supporting a man with horrific habits was her ultimate weakness.
If—when I began dating, I was breaking that cycle.
And I would not hide.
Starting tomorrow.
Shaw had stepped away from Dacia, shooting her a glare and jabbing his finger toward a table. When his back was to her, she sneered at me through the mirror.
I kept my head down, blocking out the sound of their hushed voices. Dacia laughed, too loud, and it carried across the room. My eyes caught them again.
She wore her multi-million-dollar smile as she placed her hand on Shaw’s arm.
He removed it.
So maybe they weren’t together, but regardless, it was a good reminder.
He might feel a lot of things toward me but getting involved with Shaw Valance would only lead to disaster.
The bartender came out of the kitchen with a paper sack in her hand. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” I smiled and left a twenty on the bar. “Keep the change.”
I slung my purse over my shoulder, took my food and walked straight for the door.
“Presley.” Shaw’s voice was like honey, smooth and thick and sweet.
“Hey.” I looked up, and damn it, one glimpse of those eyes made me shiver. “What’s up?”
“Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Hungry.”
“About this morning. I, uh . . .”
“Forget about it.” I waved it off as he struggled for what to say.
His jaw ticked. “You and Leo seem close.”
“So do you and Dacia.”
“There’s nothing there.”
I lifted a shoulder. “Not my business. See you around, Shaw.”
“Presley—”
I was out the door as my name floated off his lips. My Jeep was waiting around the corner. I got in and wasted no time going home.
Leo was right. I needed to rejoin society.
But not until Shaw Valance was gone. Not until there wasn’t a risk of seeing those golden eyes and letting myself daydream that a rich and handsome star had his sights set on me.
“Got a sec?” Dash asked from the doorway between the shop and office.
“Yeah.” I stood, following him into the shop, smiling at the customer waiting and reading on her phone.
Emmett, Isaiah and Leo were standing beside a tool bench. I scanned the room, searching for our other two mechanics. “Where are Sawyer and Tyler?”
“Out back.” Dash tossed his thumb to the wall. “We need to regroup on the Warriors.”
Leo groaned. “We talked about this yesterday.”
Yes, we had. At length.
When Dash had come to the garage and I’d told him about Leo, he’d gone ballistic. I hadn’t seen him that mad in years. When Leo had finally crawled out of my bed and joined us at the garage, Dash had hauled him into the office and proceeded to lecture him for an hour about the Warriors.
“Yeah, we talked about it yesterday,” Dash snapped, the anger lingering. “But we talked about it in June too. I used to not have to repeat myself, but since you didn’t listen the first time, I want to make sure it’s clear. Stay the fuck away from the Warriors.”
“I know.” Leo threw his hands in the air. “I fucked up, okay? I’m sorry.”
“Have you heard anything?” Emmett asked.
Dash shook his head. “Not yet, but one of their members got his ass kicked by one of us. You know them as well as I do. They’ll retaliate.”
“Goddamn it.” Isaiah dropped his gaze to the floor. “We don’t need this.”
“It’s not going to blow back on you,” Leo said. “That fucker knows exactly why I did it. If the Warriors come after anyone, it’ll be me.”
“We don’t stand alone.” Emmett clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Never have.”
“I shouldn’t have done it,” Leo muttered. “I was drunk and stupid. I mean it. I’m sorry. I’ll get ahold of Tucker and explain.”
Tucker Talbot was the president of the Arrowhead Warriors. He was ruthless and cunning. The man scared the hell out of me. He was not like Draven. There was no soft side to Tucker.
“No. I’ll be the one to call Tucker.” Dash’s entire body went rigid. His fists were so tight he could have crushed bolts to glitter.
There was no love lost between the Tin Kings and the Warriors, but I hadn’t seen Dash like this before. His fury vibrated around us.
Was I missing something?
“Sorry, Dash.” Leo looked truly miserable. His knuckles weren’t as red as they had been yesterday morning at my house, but the crack in his lip almost seemed worse.
I gulped. What did Jeremiah look like?
“I get it.” Dash huffed. “I wanted to do the same.”
My frame slumped. This was not what I wanted when I’d planned my simple, classy wedding.
“This isn’t your fault.” Isaiah threw his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side.
“I just want to forget the whole thing ever happened.”
“It’s forgotten,” Dash declared. “As of today, it’s done. I’ll do what I can to smooth things over with the Warriors, and we’ll put it behind us.”
He made it sound so easy.
Maybe it was.
I didn’t think about Jeremiah much these days, and I had Shaw to thank for that. He occupied the thoughts that had once been reserved for my fiancé. He and his movie had taken the place of wedding planning.
“Let’s get back to work,” Dash said as Sawyer and Tyler rounded the corner of the shop, returning to work after a cigarette break.
I was glad those two had each other. They’d bonded quickly when they’d started working here, much like Isaiah and I had after his first day. Sawyer and Tyler probably wondered why the five of us were always talking without them. What did they say about us as they smoked out back?
I made a mental note to tell Dash we needed to include them more in our regular activities. I didn’t want either of them to feel like an outsider—I knew all too well what that was like.
“Hey, guys.” I waved at them before heading to the office.
They nodded and Sawyer returned the gesture.
Leo followed me to the office with Dash bringing up the rear. The minute we entered, Dash’s shoulders fell with the weight of a thousand bricks and he trudged to his office, closing the door. He was probably calling Tucker.
Leo met my gaze and his was full of so much regret, so much sorrow. It was rare to see past his cocky, playboy exterior to the fears underneath.
“It’ll be okay.” I walked right into his space, wrapping my arms around his waist.
“I’m sorry, Pres,” he said, returning my hug. “It was eating at me and I lost my head.”
“You’re going to get yourself killed,” I whispered so the customer waiting couldn’t hear. “Don’t make me bury you too.”
“Never.” He held me closer.
Dash had labeled me a hugger years ago. It was true. I hugged. But what people didn’t seem to understand was that I didn’t only hug for them. I hugged for me. When my emotions got the best of me, when life got to be too much, I always went for the hug.
My sister had taught me that.