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Authors: Angela Fristoe

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BOOK: Darken (Siege #1)
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Shaking his head, he went to the staff locker room, waving to the cook, Mateo, as he passed through the kitchen.

Noah kept talking about dividing the change room to create two separate rooms, but that wouldn’t happen until the club started raking in some serious cash. It hadn’t been a problem until they’d hired the girls to work the floor. The complaints got loud enough that Logan put in folding dividers to split the space up.

The locker room was empty and Gavin sank onto the short bench, rolling his shoulders. He’d only been on the clock ten minutes and already he felt done.

How had he gotten so desperate he was slumming it bartending for his brothers?

There was nothing wrong with bartending, but at twenty-five with a Ph.D. in computer engineering, he always thought he’d be doing something more important with his life.

For a long time, he managed to do something good with the curse Sinclair made of his life, and then Lela died. He held himself together for a while, at least on the surface. As the months wore on, reality sucked away at the semblance of a life he’d built and making it to work day in and day out didn’t seem important as he accepted Lela was never coming back.

The door swung open, and in walked Logan. Of his six siblings, he was closest to Logan or had been until the accident.

“He’s alive,” Logan announced with over-the-top drama. Gavin glared, but before he could respond, Logan held up a hand. “Please spare me the obligatory ‘fuck you’.”

“And miss out on the highlight of my day?”

“I take it you talked to Cora.”

Gavin turned and opened the only locker without a lock. He threw in his shirt and slammed it shut.

“Fine,” Logan said. “Why don’t you tell me what the hell you’re doing here?”

“I have a shift. Haven’t you heard? I’m your newest employee.”

Logan grunted. “You know that’s not what I meant. You have a frigging Ph.D. and the mind of a genius. You should be using them for something other than mixing drinks. You should be working at some high-tech firm with Caleb.”

“Says the guy who could make a killing in the octagon,” Gavin said, ignoring the reference to his only biological brother.

“The difference is I might kill someone in a fight. You could be doing something good with what you’ve got.” Logan leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms.

Neither of them wanted to discuss their unusual skills; why they scored off the IQ charts, why they thrived on three hours of sleep, or the heightened senses that for years left Noah struggling to function outside of the lab. Only Dean, their youngest brother, appeared to be normal.

Neither of them wanted to face the fact that these were the least of what made them anything but normal. There were monsters hidden within them, creatures that craved the darkness Sinclair brought with him.

“Dude? You still with me?” Logan snapped his fingers in front of Gavin’s face.

“Screw off.” Gavin batted his brother’s hand away. “I’m not here for a heart to heart or a trip down memory lane.”

“Great. Get your ass is gear. Your shift started ten minutes ago and you’re still in here sulking about Cora.”

Gavin bit his tongue, barely containing the urge to lash out. He grabbed one of the bar aprons from the hook on the back of the door and stomped out to the storeroom.

As if he wasn’t fucked up enough having to deal with Coraline, now they wanted him to think about Sinclair? What the fuck was he supposed to do about the guy anyways?

As lead science officer for SIEGE Corporation, Sinclair had run the Posthuman Project. To the public, the SIEGE-controlled project conducted government-sanctioned experiments on humans seeking to create bio-enhanced soldiers. Whether Sinclair’s decision to use children as test subjects was also approved was debatable.

Then shit hit the fan, and the Posthuman Project imploded. The threat of exposing national security secrets kept Sinclair and the others from being prosecuted, and everyone from the top down denied knowing about Sinclair’s use of Gavin and the five other boys as lab rats.

SIEGE Corporation funneled millions into damage control and reparations, even ensuring they were adopted into the same family. Yet normal life with the Walkers did nothing to repair the genetic mutations left by the experiments, and as much as Gavin wanted to brush off the nightmares haunting him, he knew better.

Putting Sinclair in the past wouldn’t be possible until the man was dead and to make that happen they had to find him first.

Sinclair was out there and he was close.

 

 

Chapter Two

CORA PUSHED THROUGH THE door hard enough it smashed against the interior wall before rushing back toward her. She slipped through the narrowing gap with a little sashay to the side. Mateo glanced at her when she drew in a shuddering breath.

“You okay, Cora?” Mateo paused in the midst of flipping a burger patty.

“Yeah,” she managed to say around what almost became a sob. Lips pressed together, she turned from his curious eyes and placed her hands on the stainless steel counter, head hung.

Her mind echoed with Gavin’s question.
What was she doing here?

The question didn’t surprise Cora. Noah and Logan asked the same thing when she came begging for a job, and in all honesty, she wasn’t sure. She didn’t belong in a place like this. This was not how she thought her life would turn out.

Growing up, she dreamed of living in Paris or Athens where she’d spend her days painting in the garden of her gorgeous estate. The older she got, the more realistic her dreams became, and working in the restoration department of a Denver museum was enough.

Up until six months ago, she’d been busy helping prep for a new exhibit. Now, she was waitressing in a slightly less than reputable bar in the middle of Montana surrounded by constant reminders of Gavin. Serving platters of nachos and beer wasn’t just a step back, it was a complete fail in life.

Yet, she couldn’t be sorry that she was there. She
needed
to be there.

Her brother accused her of having a martyr complex. Darren was convinced her willingness to take any and all punishments regardless of if she deserved them stemmed from years under their parents' thumbs. It was an explanation she couldn’t help but give a slight bit of credence to.

She knew what coming to Thompson Creek and facing Gavin would be like. She saw it in his brown eyes, the way they drilled into her as if he saw every dark secret she hid. Along with that knowledge was the accusation. It’s what had kept her from her best friend’s funeral and ended her fragile friendship with Gavin. Logically, Cora understood he blamed her because he needed someone to blame, yet she also couldn’t deny it.

If she hadn’t flipped off the guy who nearly rammed them, he might not have flown into a rage. He might not have followed them and forced them off the bridge into the river.

When shit hit the fan, she’d been too drunk to save Lela. If she hadn’t downed that one last shot, Lela might still be alive.

Taking a long deep breath, she steadied her resolution. Gavin was right. Lela died because of her, but if he thought she’d bail on her job, he was in for a massive surprise.

No way could she tell him the real reason she took the job at the pub; he’d never believe her if she did. She wasn’t even sure she believed it herself.

Gavin passed through the kitchen, and she let her eyes follow him. He took powerful strides with his long legs, and his shirt clung to his muscular chest. Gavin was no longer the boy she met back in high school.

Forcing herself to concentrate on what needed to be done, she loaded cutlery into a bin and placed a pile of napkins on top. She carried it out to Keeley, dropping the bin on the counter beside the till where the other woman stood counting the float.

“Someone piss in your porridge?” Keeley arched a brow.

“I think you mean cornflakes.” The corner of Cora’s lips turned up.

“Whatever.” Keeley shrugged. “So, what’s your problem?”

“Nothing.”

“Uh huh, and does nothing stand over six feet tall with an ass begging you to test its thrusting power?”

“Oh, my God. No!” Cora swatted Keeley’s arm, blood rushing to her cheeks as her friend laughed. “Now, can we talk about something other than Gavin?”

“Girl, I was talking about Logan but now we know where your head is at. I’m not gonna need to put a leash on you to hold you back, am I? Though, I don’t think that would help much; I get the impression the Walker boys are all into that kind of thing.”

She started to protest but clamped her lips shut. Anything she said would only feed into Keeley’s wickedly-dirty sense of humor.

A wise decision, since Gavin chose that moment to strut back into the bar, a soda canister and keg slung over each shoulder. She studied him as he placed the containers on the ground and started hooking them up. He was so different than when they first met ten years before.

Physically, he’d filled out, transforming from a tall, lanky teen to an Adonis. Lean muscles, a solid scruffy jaw and yes, nice ass, made it impossible to mistake him for anything but a man.

Yet the sorrow he carried in his eyes marked the greatest change as it dimmed the intensity that once drew her to him. He’d always thrown himself so completely into the aspects of his life he considered important. When Lela died, he crumbled.

“Cora.”

She jumped at Logan’s voice behind her and fumbled with the forks she held, hoping he hadn’t noticed her watching Gavin.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Just checking in.” Though he spoke to her, his gaze followed Keeley as she walked over to unlock the front door, then he shook his head and glanced at Cora.

“We’re expecting a big group from TanTech at happy hour. I told Merrick we’d hold the two end tables.”

“That’s Keeley’s section.”

“Well, pass the message,” he said even as Keeley made her way back to them. “I’ll see you tonight.”

He disappeared into the staff area, nodding curtly at the flirty smile Keeley gave him.

“Tonight?” Keeley looked at Cora. “Are you poaching?”

“No,” Cora denied, rolling her eyes. “He’s training me to do receiving and purchase orders.”

“Well, good,” she said and cracked a smile. “I’m meeting Sky for dinner, want to join us?”

Sky was the only Walker sister. Cora got along with her but they never really hung out, mainly due to the five-year age gap.

“Yeah, sure.”

She finished the cutlery, pushing aside the bin, and then went back to the fridge to grab a bowl of lemons for drink garnish. Gavin was clearing the spray nozzle when she came back, carrying the bowl along with a cutting board and knife. She dropped the items on the workspace beside him and pulled a lemon from the bowl, tossing the fruit in the air for him to catch.

“Cut,” she ordered.

“Can’t Mateo do this?” Gavin called after her as she headed toward the staff area.

“He could.” She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Except it’s not
his
job to prep
your
bar. Start cutting. Celery and limes are coming next.”

His eyes narrowed, and her chin lifted in challenge. Backing down would only fuel his belief he controlled things between them.

“Fine,” he said. “My bar, my job. I’ll get it.”

Cora trailed him through the kitchen to the walk-in fridge and watched as he searched the shelves for celery. Eventually, he gave up and looked at her.

“Wrong fridge. This is for kitchen supplies only.” She led him to the smaller walk-in fridge in the back across from the dry liquor storage.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to keep food in the kitchen?”

“Different budget, different inventory.” She opened the heavy door.

Boxes of beer, wine, and clear liquor were stacked along the sides nearly to the ceiling, and she moved past them to pick up a small one full of garnish from the wire shelf at the back of the fridge. She twisted around to find Gavin only a foot away. He snagged the box from her and turned toward the exit. She followed behind and almost ran into him when he abruptly stopped.

“Where’s the handle?” he asked.

“What handle?”

“For the door.”

“It’s the latch on the side. Just push.” She poked his back to prod him along, but he didn’t move forward. “Push it harder.”

He twisted to glare at her. “I did. It’s not opening.”

To prove his point, he put the box on top of a shelf beside him and leaned his entire body against the door.

“Shit!” Cora squeezed past him, telling herself she didn’t really feel the brush of his arm against her breast. She told herself she was only focused on the door and not on how the tight space left little room to do anything about the way her rear snuggled into his body.

Cora shoved at the door frantically, and when it didn’t budge the entire room seemed to close in on her, sucking out the air as it shrunk. Her heart thudded loudly, and she pressed her back against the door, gasping for air.

“You’re claustrophobic?” Gavin asked as she rubbed a hand over her chest.

“No.” Or she hadn’t been until a few months ago. Shutting her eyes, she calmed her breathing.
It would be fine. They were in the liquor fridge of a bar. Someone would be coming in here before they froze to death.
She opened her eyes again and found Gavin only inches away, watching her with a strange expression.

Her breath puffed out in a white cloud of condensation. She should have been cold, yet the heat radiating from him left her deliciously warm and wanting to move closer. Her tongue peeked out to slide over her lower lip.

Lusting after Gavin was nothing new. It started when she was sixteen, though now her thoughts were much more vivid. For years, she suffered the guilt of loving her best friend’s boyfriend, yet that day, she couldn’t bring herself to be the martyr anymore. Lela was gone, and Cora accepted it even if Gavin didn’t.

She heaved a sigh, and the movement caused her nipples, tightened by the cold and desire, to scrape along his chest. With any other man, she would have retreated, but this was Gavin, and he intoxicated her.

Her hand lifted to rest on the side of his abs, and he stiffened under the contact. For a fraction of a second, she hesitated, then before she could have a second thought, his lips converged on hers.

Fire tore through her, a burning that started deep in her belly. Her lips parted, and his tongue thrust in, tempting hers into a delicious dance and filling her with the spicy flavor of him.

Finally
. Finally.

What the hell was he doing?

The question came to Gavin as a soft moan escaped Cora. He ran his hands over her hips to cup her ass, and the question disappeared as his dick took over the thinking process.

Through her well-worn jeans, he stroked her lush curves, and his fingers dug into the flesh, squeezing, testing how much she was willing to take. Cora rose on her tip-toes, her hands winding around the back of his neck. The motion eliminated any space separating them. It was all he needed to know.

He gave a deep growl and pressed her up against the door. Her legs shifted open and he slid between them. Even with layers of clothing they wore, he could feel the warmth of her pussy. His dick hardened and he rocked against her.

She pulled her head back and nipped at his lip, catching it between her teeth and tugging until he groaned and took her mouth again.

Then she was ripped away, falling back into Keeley, who possessed the unfortunate luck of going to get a case of beer. The two of them stumbled backward until the wall opposite the fridge halted their fall.

Both women’s eyes were huge. While Keeley’s were in shock and humor as she realized what she’d interrupted, Cora’s held mortification.

He quickly grabbed the box of garnish and, holding it low enough to hide the evidence of his encounter with Cora, went back out to the main room.

What the fuck had he been thinking?

He snatched up a celery stalk and slammed it onto the cutting board. With the butcher knife, he hacked at the stalk.

Making out with Cora topped his stupidest shit ever done list.
Cora, for Christ’s sake
.

He grabbed another piece.
Whack!

Fuck, she’d tasted good, sweet and smooth like a chocolate-dipped strawberry. And her ass.
Damn
.

Whack!

He stared down at the mangled vegetable in front of him. Cora was messing with his mind in ways he hadn’t anticipated. He heaved a sigh. He didn’t need any complications in his life, and that’s what Cora was, a tiny, sexy, explosive ball of complications.

Throwing the mess he’d made into the garbage, he started over, making sure he actually focused on his work. It had been a couple years since he helped his brothers with the pub, but it wasn’t so complicated he needed step-by-step instructions from Cora.

Not that he would have gone to her for anything. After what happened in the fridge, he planned to keep as much distance as possible between them. She seemed to have the same plan, because other than throwing drink orders and the occasional reminder at him, she avoided him the rest of the day.

Lunch hour and early afternoon were quiet at the bar, though Cora and Keeley’s hands were full with food orders. He used the time to familiarize himself with his area, tidying up some of the chaos his brother Josh left in the wake of his evening shifts.

A bellowing laugh caught his attention, and he spotted the two women chatting with a group of men seated in the far corner. He recognized Noah’s friend Merrick and figured it was the group from TanTech.

BOOK: Darken (Siege #1)
3.42Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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