Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Mia waited until dark to close the shop and head home.
And she wasn’t afraid to admit it was out of sheer cowardice, just to stay out of Zeke’s path a little longer.
She needed the time to think. To try and remember all the things they’d fought about.
To bring back that feeling of why she’d left to begin with.
But all she could remember was how much she’d missed him. And how much she’d loved him.
She’d had nonstop customers from the moment Zeke had left, and she hadn’t gotten the opportunity to take a closer look at the music box.
There had to be some reason both bikers and cops would be looking for it.
And no one was telling the truth. So she’d wrapped it with packing material and put it in her backpack.
She had less chance of being interrupted at home.
The moon was only a sliver in the sky and heavy clouds blocked the minimal light it gave.
The wind cut through her thin jacket the moment she stepped out the back door and locked up, and she realized fall was coming to a close and winter was right behind it.
It was pitch black and there were no sounds or car lights from the road.
There were hardly any travelers along her stretch of road after dark anyway.
It had never bothered her before. But tonight her senses were tingling.
She carried her weapon down at her side and her backpack slung over her shoulder as she unlocked her 4x4 and got inside. Thoughts of the biker coming back with his brothers had never left her mind, and she sure wasn’t going to face them unarmed.
The drive into Laurel Valley was quick and easy. The town was locked up tight for the most part. Main Street was in the shape of an X, and no cars were allowed along the cobbled streets. She found herself driving the side streets through town, not quite ready to go home for the day.
All the shops downtown were dark except for the gaslights that flickered along the walkways.
There were lights coming from some of the apartments above the shops, including hers, but it looked like most of the action was happening down at The Alpine Room.
It was a large lodge-like structure that had lake and mountain views and a rooftop bar—not exactly dive bar material.
And it was located on the block behind The Reading Nook.
She rolled her window down and could hear the beat of the music from the live band.
Cars and trucks littered the parking lot and warm golden light spilled from the chalet-style building’s windows.
The Alpine Room wasn’t her scene—too crowded, too many people she’d know and have to make small talk with—but still she was tempted to take a detour and head that direction.
Drink a couple of beers, dance with a couple of ranch hands, and keep her mind off Zeke.
But instead, she pulled into her parking space behind the building and climbed the stairs to the second floor. If she could get a cold beer and a shower then all would be right with the world.
The exterior stairs led to a small landing outside her apartment door, just wide enough for the rocking chair she’d placed there. It was her favorite spot to drink her morning coffee and watch the sun rise over the mountains, painting Twin Peaks in shades of gold and rose.
The only issue was the man currently occupying her rocking chair.
“I didn’t figure you’d want me going inside without you,” he said, his smile easy.
As if nothing more than a simple conversation had passed between them earlier.
It was one of the things that had always driven her crazy about him.
When he was over something, he was over it, and he moved on. Her emotions weren’t quite as settled.
“You figured right,” she said. “I would’ve shot first and asked questions later.”
“I thought that temper of yours would’ve settled over the years.”
“Nope, I’m mean as a snake.”
“That’s not what the ladies at the bakery downstairs said. Those are amazing cinnamon rolls, by the way.”
“I know. Why are you here again? I figure if I keep asking you’ll eventually tell me.”
“Don’t you want to know what the ladies had to say about you?”
If she stood there looking at him too much longer she’d end up walking straight into his arms and throwing caution to the wind. He sent her body into overdrive—it didn’t matter that it had been three years. Her pulse quickened just being near him and the memory of his touch made her skin tingle.
He lounged back in the chair like a big jungle cat, and his eyes were predatory. If she let him inside she knew where they’d end up. Even from where she stood she could feel the arcs of electricity between them.
“What do you say, sweetheart? Are you going to invite me in or do you want to stay out here for everyone to see?”
Her body flushed hot and she remembered very clearly a time when they’d been together in Mexico—the ocean breeze, the warmth of the sun, and the way he’d made her feel alive in a way no one else ever had. The memory alone was enough to make her breath catch.
“Come on in,” she finally said, her voice husky.
She unlocked the door and went inside, leaving it open behind her. She heard the door close and the click of the deadbolt as he turned it.
“You didn’t answer my question,” he said.
“Well, you haven’t answered any of mine.” She shrugged and tossed her keys in the little bowl on the table and sat her backpack on the floor. The music box was a fleeting thought. There was no point trying to do anything with it while Zeke was there.
“Blaze O’Hara and I spent the afternoon catching up over cinnamon rolls and coffee.”
“I didn’t realize you and Blaze knew each other that well. I just met him when I moved here.”
Zeke’s grin was easy to interpret. “We go back a way. He and I spent some very memorable summers here in our misspent youth. He told me you and his wife are close.”
“Lily was a bounty hunter,” Mia said. “She does some contract work from time to time. You’d like her.”
“That’s high praise coming from you,” he said. “The people in this town are still as curious as they were back then. They all remembered me. And then they started talking about you. Don’t you want to know what they had to say?”
“Not really.”
“I don’t believe you. You’re nosy. I bet you know everything about each and every one of the people who work in these shops.”
“Of course I do,” she said over her shoulder. “Because I listen. You should try it some time.”
“I’ve heard everything you’ve said since I laid eyes on you again a few hours ago.”
“Yet here you are in my apartment, not answering my questions.”
He grinned unrepentantly. “Listening and obeying are two different things.”
She arched a brow. “Cocky.”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know where this is going, Mia. If we hadn’t been interrupted today, we both know I wouldn’t have stopped at kissing you.”
“I find it hard to believe that you came all this way just for that.”
“I came all this way for you. I’ve given you your space. It’s time to stop running.”
“I’ve been right here for three years. Where have you been?” She took off her hip holster and hung it on the wall next to her bedroom door. “Oh, right. The job was more important than we were. I remember now.”
“We were a team, Mia. We’d still be a team if you hadn’t left. We could’ve had both.”
“You’re the only one that wanted both. I just wanted you.
I guess I’m just different from you, Zeke.
The body and mind can only withstand so much torture, and I watched enough friends die to last a lifetime.
There comes a time when you have to evaluate your priorities and decide what’s really important.
What we had—what we could’ve had—was never important enough to you.
I’m going to take a shower. You can stay or leave. It’s your choice.”
Mia went into her bedroom and peeled out of the jeans and tank she’d worked in all day.
She’d loved being a cop. But watching her best friend executed in front of her eyes had been the last straw.
It was part of the job—putting your life on the line every day—but knowing it could happen and seeing it happen were two very different things.
She’d carved out a good life for herself.
It had been a risk taking her entire pension and putting it into Pawn to Queen.
But she’d made it work, and she’d been turning a nice profit for the last couple of years.
Her life as a cop was in the past. She’d left everything behind to start a new life where the nightmares weren’t constantly screaming in her head.
Zeke was part of that past, and she had no desire to make it her future.
Though the lie wasn’t sitting as easily as it once had.
What she needed was a shower, some time to think, and a good night’s sleep.
She just needed a little more time to prepare mentally.
Zeke had been the love of her life. And she’d worked very hard over the last three years to cauterize that wound in her heart.
He wouldn’t stay. He couldn’t. Too many lives and operations depended on him.
So all she had to do was keep her distance and keep her heart out of it.
“Stupid,” she said, shaking her head.
Her bedroom was white. White walls, white furniture, white rug, and white bedspread.
But she’d added color with bold paintings on the walls—pieces she’d loved enough that she’d decided not to sell in the shop.
Gem-hued pillows sat on the bed, varied in size and shape, and the throw across the chair in the corner was emerald green.
She liked pretty things. Had learned to appreciate them, as well as having the personal satisfaction of being able to choose each piece because she’d worked hard.