All This Time (26 page)

Chapter
Forty-Nine

When
Mad Hatter returns to the shop an hour and a half later, Chelsea is long gone.
He blows a fuse, calling me every name in the book and threatening to kick
Dylan’s ass. We stand strong watching him unravel right in front of our eyes,
demanding we tell him where she went. There isn’t a damn thing he can say, or
do, that will ever gain him that information. After calmly explaining that she
left walking home when he didn’t return, I chuckle watching him blast out the
door yelling back at us that he will return and we will pay.
She’s safe and
he can’t hurt us
.

“Thanks
Dyl
,” I smile at him while grabbing my purse. “If he
shows back up just give me a shout.” I have a feeling he will be back and we
will pay hell for this little arrangement.

“I’ll
deal with his stick ass and weak threats,” he chuckles climbing onto the
barstool behind the front counter and leaning over it with his arms crossed.
“You have fun tonight and I’ll see you Monday night.”

“Yep,”
is all I say, walking out the door toward my brand new Jeep.

Yesterday,
Decks relented on dragging me with him on his business trips, but insisted that
I accept the vehicle as a gift from a
friend
. Even though I want to know
who the woman was is that he keeps traveling across the oceans to meet more
than anything, I am less thrilled about being with him all of the time. Sealing
my decision to remain behind was when he told me that under no circumstance
would I be allowed near Nelson. That pissed me off like swiping a red flag in
front of a chained-down bull. Seeing that I can’t get any closer to the king,
I’ll just strategize and take advantage of the access Decks allows, until I can
come up with a new brilliant plan to take all the bastards down.

 I
do owe Decks though. It was his call that got Mad away so that I could help
Chelsea escape. All it took on my part was telling Decks that I was a little
creeped out by the guy and wished there was a way to get him to leave me alone
while I finished Chelsea’s tattoo. He came up with the plan to give him some
free weed, drawing him away from the shop. Since Mad has once again been cut
off by practically every drug dealer in the county he couldn’t resist.
Perfect
plan executed perfectly. On this occasion, I’m content with the taboo word.

Tonight
we’re spending the evening at Holidays. I haven’t been here since before my
accident and I am eagerly anticipating a nice glass, or four, of Kentucky
whiskey. I spot Natalie and Wise at our usual table and make my way over. Some
of the guys are playing pool and fortunately for me Lourdes is nowhere in
sight. Relaxing won’t happen with her bitchy ass glaring at me all night.
Unfortunately, I don’t see Blues either and I’m completely bummed with his
absence, which shocks the hell out of me. I tip back my first tumbler of liquid
burn hoping to rush down the path that leads to my happy place.

“You
made it,” Natalie says smirking behind her Peachtini. “I wasn’t sure if you
would still come tonight after Decks strict orders.”

I
groan while remembering his last words to me were a plea for me to stay at his
house until he returns. But I’m not his prisoner and refuse to let him treat me
as one. He will just have to get over it, if he even hears about me being out.
I doubt the guys would rat me out. I’m not really someone they concern
themselves with.

“I
don’t give a damn tonight,” I smirk before tossing back my drink, finishing it
quickly and then scouting around the room for our waitress. “I’m going to the
bar. Do you need another?” I ask Natalie who’s staring at the front of the club
watching the guys playing pool.

“Nope,
I’m good,” she smiles before glancing over to Wise. “Do you need another beer,
Hon?”

“Yeah,
grab me another Ultra,” Wise grins draping an arm over the seat back behind his
wife.

I
edge around the dance area making my way to the large bar situated near the
back beside the stage. The bartender winks at me handing me my usual without me
having to ask.

“Thanks,
can I get Wise an Ultra too please?” I smile and he nods reaching down into the
cooler in front of him.

He
pushes it my direction across the top of the bar. “Here you go, Angel.”

“Hey,”
a deep accent rumbles directly behind me. I twist my head glancing over my
shoulder and smile seeing a friendly big guy smirking back at me.

“Hello
Shane,” I turn around to face him and he sits down on the barstool beside me.
“Did you lose?” I ask referring to the pool game.

“Yeah,
I’m buying the winnings now,” he says to me before catching the bartender’s
attention. “Two Bud Lights and two more shots of Jack for me. And put the
little lady’s drink on my tab.” Shane flashes me the sweetest smile I’ve seen
him give, hell it’s the first smile I’ve ever seen on his face and it makes me
giggle.

Before
sipping the warm amber drink, I raise my glass up offering him a silent toast,
but mumble to myself, “To hell with it all.” Turning my glass up, I keep my
eyes on Shane and notice that he’s letting his hair grow out. With it shaved he
looks downright scary, but now with the small growth his look is way less
intimidating and very good looking. “I like you with hair,” I smile glancing
sideways at him.

He
turns his body partially toward me, “So you’re saying you don’t like my shaved
head?” He smirks while lifting a dark eyebrow at me, and I turn on my megawatt
smile naturally at his playful tone while shaking my head.

“Not
exactly, but you are less scary this way,” I wink before turning my attention
toward the bartender and lifting my glass, indicating I need another. “I’m
guessing that was the look you were going for though.”

“Good
guess,” he tips back one shot glass gulping it down and I watch his throat work
down the dark liquid. He follows it quickly with his second shot of Jack before
saying, “I’ll see you later, Angel.”

I
take my new drink and Wise’s beer over to the table. Sitting back in my seat
next to Natalie, I notice after only a few moments that she is anxious tonight
for some reason. She keeps picking up her drink, taking a quick sip and then
placing it down repeatedly. In between drinks she taps her fingernails on the
stem of the glass.

“Are
you okay?” I ask clasping my hand around her wrist, stopping the irritating
sound. She jerks her head up at me and smiles.

“Oh,
yeah, I’m good,” she slurs already feeling the effects of her fruity
concoction. “I think I want to dance. Do you want to dance?”

“I
could shake it a little,” I wiggle in my seat to the rhythm of the music
crooning from the jukebox before sliding out and pulling her along behind me.

We
take over the dance floor with some silly dancing and in a few minutes the
stress that was marring her face is just a memory. Her eyes sparkle with joy as
we separately dance around some of the couples during a slow song. They aren’t
bothered in the least with our playfulness. Finally, feeling the effects of the
alcohol, I lean in close to her ear and let her know that I need a break. She
nods her head and we walk toward the women’s restroom. Passing our table I spot
someone in my peripheral approaching. I turn to see who it is and stumble over
my steps causing Natalie to slam into me from behind. Wrapping her hands around
my upper arms, she pushes me along, guiding me toward the hallway where the
ladies room is located. I twist my head around as I push open the door and spot
Juan, the leader of the
Hijos
de la Sangre sliding
into the booth beside Wise.

After
recognizing his face from the pictures Russ provided recently, my heart rate
instantly spikes and a feeling of impending doom sprints through my veins,
combining with the three glasses of alcohol. Seeing the leader of one of the
most notorious cartels in the southeast making a personal visit is never good.
Notifying Russ or Captain Reebals would be the smart thing to do right about
now. Hopefully they can get a uniformed officer to make a casual appearance,
preventing something bad from going down.
Dammit
. I cuss under my breath
when I remember that I left my cell phone in my purse sitting at the table.
Remembering my reason for leaving the dance floor, I rush to finish and return
to our table as fast as humanly possible. Natalie is already washing her hands
when I join her at the sink.

She
pulls open the door, intending to leave me behind and I yell, “Wait for me.”
She nods but steps out into the hallway. Now the panic escalates as I think
about her walking back to the table without me. I toss the paper towel in the
trash, and jerk open the door, not finding her waiting like she agreed.
Stepping out of the bathroom and rushing down the dark corridor leading back to
the bar area, I’m jerked backwards after only a couple of steps when a large
arm wraps around my waist. I grip the arm and twist my head around finding the
deep sapphire eyes of Blues sparkling down at me.

Chapter
Fifty

“Oh,
you startled me,” I yelp leaning away from his embrace while he struggles
holding my back against his chest tightly. In the dark lighting of the hallway
I can see his heated gaze, but I can also feel the blazing path his eyes take
as he looks down the front of my body. He places a hand at the side of my neck
dragging it down slowly over the center of my bare chest down to the top of my
shirt before retracing the path with the callous pads of his fingers. With his
other arm still holding me around the waist he places his hand just above my
lower girlie bits, drawing me against him. His delicious man scent envelops me,
intoxicating my mind and numbing my limbs. My arms hang loosely at my sides
while my head lobs back against his shoulder. Blues takes advantage of my
weakened state, plunging his face into my hair and placing his hot mouth
against my ear.

“Doll,”
his voice vibrates against my skin causing me to shiver. He feels my reaction
and chuckles deeply while placing several open-mouth kisses along my neck and
down my collar bone. “Come home with me. I have a place close by and my car is
parked right out back.”

His
offer jolts my awakened libido up making me melt instantly. He presses his body
against me roughly, forcing me against the wall. He moves both hands to the
sides of my breast, gripping them firmly while stroking his long fingers over
my hard nipples. I moan from the amazing sensation and push my hips into him
instinctively. He reciprocates with grinding his rock hard erection against my
backside. I begin panting ferociously with need instantly.

“What
do you say Love? We can leave your things here with your friends and return
later for them.” The lustful desires of my body and disorder of my mind clears
when he mentions my friends and I remember my need to rush out of the bathroom
earlier.

“No,”
I whisper hoarsely after snapping my eyes open and forcing his hands off of my
body.

He
grabs me again preventing me from escaping, “Wait –” Before he can make another
plea for me to leave with him a piercing sound interrupts him. “What the fuck?”
One loud shot echoes through the bar followed by multiple shrilled screams.
Fear grips me and instincts kick in, but Blues yanks me backwards away from the
action.

“No,”
I scream. “I need to go in there.” The need to find out what happened consumes
me and I forget my cover briefly. I push away from him, but he grabs me
roughly, lifting my body off the ground while rushing backward.

“Hell
no, you are not going in there, Angel,” he yells forcing open the back door and
dragging me out away from the deadly scene.

Once
we’re in the back parking lot he drops me onto my feet, but doesn’t let me go
completely. I glance back over my shoulder toward the exit expecting to see the
shooter following, but no one comes out before we reach his car. As much as the
cop in me wants to find out what happened in the bar I’m aware enough to
remember that Angel wouldn’t run toward the sound of gunfire, unlike Sam Walker
who is drawn to it with an urgency to help. Blues pulls open the passenger side
door and deposits me into the seat. He climbs in quickly starting the car and
pressing down on the gas pedal hard.

“What
was that Blues?” I ask innocently.

Racing
down the nearly empty highway, he glances over at me sadly and holds my stare
for a couple of ominous moments before facing forward again. “I don’t know, but
I’m going to find out.” He grips the steering wheel with one hand and shoves
his other into his inside coat pocket. He presses a couple of buttons on his
cell before placing it against his head. “Fuck,” he growls under his breath
after listening to it ring repeatedly, before going to voicemail. He drops the
phone into his lap and turns the steering wheel sharp right, pulling into an
underground parking garage. He squeals the tires around several corners before
pulling into a space marked with his name on it next to the elevator.

We
hop out at the same time and he meets me at the back of the car, taking my hand
into his. The doors of the elevator close, sealing us inside away from all the
bad and my breathing begins to regulate. Blues squeezes my hands once as the
doors open on the top floor. He turns right toward a set of double doors marked
‘Penthouse’ and pushes his key into the lock. He forces a hand through his hair
proving that, like me, his anxiety hasn’t settled even being away from whatever
went down. We walk into a large open living space decorated with deep rich
colors mixed with modern furnishings. Blues releases my hand and walks over to
a small bar beside a set of French doors that lead out to a balcony. I notice
for the first time that my hands are trembling so I pull them in front of me
wrapping my right hand over the cast on my left. He takes out two sniffers,
filling them with dark liquor before walking back over to me.

“Here,
this will help,” he hands me one of the glasses and when I take it he reaches
for my elbow. Clutching me tenderly he escorts me to the large plush sofa and
sits before tugging me down beside him. “I’m going to try to call Decks again
to find out what he knows about the gunfire. He didn’t answer the first time,”
he states shucking off his coat before pulling out his phone.

I
nod agreeably but then his words sink in. “Decks is out of town again,” I
remind him knowing he’s still away on his recent trip to the Gulf.

“Where
did he go?” he asks turning toward me with his finger poised over the send
button.

“I’m
not certain,” I hesitate not wanting him to know that I gleaned my information
from eavesdropping on Decks conversation with the woman in Nassau. “I think
this trip was to the Gulf coast.”

He
stares at me for a moment, his eyes are saturated with an extreme amount of
curiosity and they hold me with rapt attention. He places his cell down on the
coffee table in front of us and then leans back against the sofa.

“You
said he’s out of town again. Where has he gone, and when did he start going on
these trips?”

A
heavy feeling of foreboding sinks into my gut as I watch his eyes darken
awaiting my response. Curiosity also demands that I find out what he knows as
well.

“Well,
you know about the east coast trip back before Christmas, right?” He offers a
curt nod, waiting for me to continue. “After my accident…” I pause remembering
Blues telling me how frightened he was after finding out about me being in the
hospital. “He refused to let me go out alone and didn’t want me staying by
myself at the house while he traveled so I accompanied him to Nassau last
week.” His eyes penetrate into mine and I shift feeling uncomfortable under his
harsh stare. He rises from the sofa, crosses the room and paces in front of the
balcony, contemplating my answer for several minutes.

I
remain silent and in control externally, but internally I’m freaking out.
Unable to wait him out another moment, I stand quickly and rush my question,
“Can you call Wise or Murph? They were at the club and I really want to know if
everyone is okay.” He stops walking and lifts his eyes up to look at me. The
level of sadness I see in his features is overwhelming and it’s clear that he
knows that whatever happened tonight directly involves them.

Suddenly
the reality grips me like a noose around the neck, choking my airway and
accelerating my fear. This was retaliation and one of the members of the X’kapz
was targeted tonight in a public place to make a serious statement. Feeling
lightheaded, I sway and reach with a hand to brace my fall back down on the
sofa. Blues rushes over easing me down and placing a hand on my shoulder gently
pushing me against the back of the sofa.

“Relax,
Doll. I’ll call them,” he promises, tenderly stroking his fingers lightly over
my forehead, pushing a few long strands away. “I’m going to find out what
happened, but I want you to stay right here, okay?” Closing my eyes to ride out
the flash of nausea that begins swirling in my stomach, I nod my head
agreeably. I hear him push buttons on his phone followed by a rushed garbled
hello on the other end. “It’s Blues, tell me what happened.” Still trying to
calm down, I keep my eyes closed, and through my efforts I realize my good hand
is fisted tightly so I stretch out my fingers and place it on top of my thigh.
After a full minute of silently listening, Blues stands abruptly, jostling me.
I open my eyes to see heavy pain etched on his face just before he turns away
and buries it into his hand and whispers, “Damn.”