8. Dana
I should have known this is where they would take me. Their options are limited, and this is the safest place for a local to be.
Kaley pulls into the parking lot in silence. She must have a million questions.
Come tomorrow, the gossip around town will be all about me, and I have no idea what to say to anyone. I’ve kept so much from these people, and my secrets are all here to bite me in the ass.
“You okay?” I rattle in my seat at the sound of Kaley’s voice.
Everyone else has gotten out of the car, leaving the two of us in the front seats.
“Oh. Yes. I’m good. Thank you…for everything. Uh…” My sentence trails off, taking the remainder of my thought with it.
“Let’s get you inside to Dale. He’ll take care of you.” She looks away from me, scanning the parking lot. “Oh, good, they’re here.” I glance in the direction she’s looking to see a row of bikes parked next to the front entrance.
The old barn-turned-bar looms over us in an open field. Lined up in front are a handful of motorcycles owned by the local club. The guys in the group have always been really nice to me, and I’ve known Dale since I first arrived.
Music drifts lazily from the old building. I’ve been here a bunch of times, trying to get to know more of the residents, and everyone has always been welcoming.
But it’s hard to be an outsider.
The large barn doors open, and the scent of smoke and beer hits me as I step in and take a look around.
The gang’s all here. Literally, it’s a gang. This is why Tyler chose Dale’s as the safest place for me. Anyone walking in would be outnumbered, and they don’t trust outsiders easily.
Looking over my shoulder at the now-closed door, I realize only Kaley came inside with me. The kids aren’t allowed in here unless it’s urgent. No one wants to risk getting on the wrong side of the law here, especially Dale, the owner of the place and the unofficial leader of the local MC.
“Hey, Kim,” Dale hollers from behind the bar as everyone looks my way. “What brings you in here?” he asks as he sets a box on the counter. The contents inside clink against each other. Then, tilting his head to look around me, he stops our conversation and starts a new one. “Kaley, you know the rule. No minors.”
Kaley wastes no time. Hooking her arm into mine, she walks both of us up to the bar and leans over it, talking as quietly as she can. “Something happened in town, Dale. Kim is in danger. Like, end of life danger. She needs to stay here with you and the guys until Tyler comes for her.”
Dale shifts his eyes back and forth between us, his features turning stern. “Where’s my boy?”
A fresh wave of dizziness hits me as my nerves settle in. Dale saw something in Tyler when he first came to town, and he’s been like a father to him ever since his own father was sent away.
“He’s with someone I—trust.” I choke on my last word.
Do I trust them? I trusted them once, and I lost Jessa. Am I making the same mistake again?
I wait in silence for his decision. He stares me down, and my heart thuds in my chest.
Speaking of trust, I’m not sure I’ve built up enough of it with the guys around here. My secrets are catching up to me. One of them tried to kill me tonight, and I’m floundering. I lost the only person I trusted with my life a year ago. Now I’m out here, among strangers, begging for someone to help me.
“Okay.” He nods at me once and turns to Kaley. “That’s good enough for me. Thanks, Kaley. You get home. We’ll keep her here until Tyler shows up.” Then, focusing on me, he continues, “I want to talk to this person you trust before you leave my sight tonight. You understand me, Kim?”
“I understand. Thanks, Dale,” I whisper.
Kaley gives me a wave and leaves as quickly as her legs will carry her out of the room.
“Good. Now, Bonnie and Steven are here. Why don’t you sit with them?” He waves at Bonnie, who bounds out of her seat and makes her way across the bar toward us. “Can I get you a soda?”
“I’d like a drink.” As I look around the bar, my night catches up to me. I don’t want to deal with anything right now.
“What?”
“I’d like a drink, Dale,” I say again, matter-of-factly.
“But you don’t drink.”
The last time I drank alcohol was the night we spent with Michael and his men on the compound. The memory of what happened between us after assaults me, and I push it away.
“Yeah, well, it’s been a night.” I lift my hand to tuck a stray hair behind my ear, and Dale straightens.
I catch the dried blood on my fingers.
There is no mistaking what it is.
As if on cue, my hand starts to shake, and I fist my fingers and shove my hand into my pocket to steady myself. Dale’s eyes meet mine, and for a moment I think the questions are going to start flying. Instead, he remains silent and sets a glass on the counter. The sound makes me jump, but Dale doesn’t break his motion, just tosses me a damp towel to wipe my hands and reaches for a bottle of something.
I force a smile and wipe off the dried blood before Bonnie gets to my side.
“Sure thing. Coming up.” He pours different liquids into the glass, and a tap on my shoulder has me turning around with that same forced smile on my face.
“Hey, honey. What brings you by?” Bonnie smiles and looks over my shoulder at Dale, who’s mixing away. “Oh, that looks good. I’ll have one too.”
I pause, trying to come up with an answer, but Dale shoots Bonnie a short shake of his head.
I shrug as he hands me my drink. “Just thought I’d drop by.” I take a sip, then turn back to Dale. “This is good. What is it?”
“Mai tai.”
“Well, keep them coming, please.” I hold the drink up between us and point at it.
He stares me down to gauge my tone.
My expression is serious.
“Sure thing.” There’s hesitation in his voice as he hands a drink to Bonnie, then motions for us to take a seat.
I follow Bonnie over to the table. When I look back, Dale is gesturing to his group of guys, and one of the men saunters up to the bar. No doubt Dale is giving instructions to not let me leave and to watch the doors.
I feel like a burden.
“Oh, these are good.” Bonnie takes another sip of her drink and slides it over to Steven, who takes a sniff and scrunches up his nose. She laughs. “And it’s too frilly for this one, so I get it all to myself.”
I smile and try small talk as I nurse my drink. “How’s everything on the farm?”
Bonnie and Steven were the first residents I met, at the little gas station on my way through town. I was looking for lodging, and they offered me a place to stay near their lavender farm. One night turned into eight, and I ended up never leaving the area.
“It’s getting better. Lavender is fairly drought tolerant, but that dry spell did a number on us. Thanks to the rain last week, things are coming back, and we still have a lot of water in our reserves. That’s why we’re celebrating. We were able to make our payment at the bank today. We’re good for another month.” Bonnie lifts her glass.
“That bad, huh?” As I ask, a thick, warm sensation settles into my arms. I’m not sure if it’s the alcohol or the stress.
Steven drinks the last of his beer. “Naw, I think we’ll be okay now. Forecast is for more rain next week. Should get us through the summer heat. I’ll be back. Going to play a round.” He stands and walks over to the group of guys hanging around the pool tables.
But when he reaches them, no one makes a move to play. I’m sure everyone is trying to figure out what is going on, and no one will ask me directly. It’s some kind of unspoken rule in small towns. Secondhand information is always the first option here.
As my drink goes down, so do my nerves, and frustration sets in. I lost Jessa because we allowed ourselves to trust. In less than a day, my entire life has been uprooted, and another friend of mine is dead.
I brought all of this here. I led a hitman to this town, and no one here is prepared to deal with the fallout. As Bonnie talks about their upcoming harvest, I go over the options I have left in my head, and they seem to dwindle as the hours pass.
Then there’s Michael. I froze when Jack yelled “gun” on the street. But not him. He placed himself between me and the shooter without thinking anything over, without considering his own life, and now Dale and the kids are keeping me safe. But they don’t know the extent of the threat that’s hunting me.
I know what terror feels like. I watched my only friend kill herself to save me.
I can’t let anyone else suffer the same fate.
As I slurp the last of my drink through my straw, I turn back to the bar. Dale is already mixing new drinks, but he has one eye on me. Lifting up my glass, I shake it, and he nods.
I’m going to need a few more of these fancy drinks if I’m going to face everyone later.