Darken (Siege #1) (5 page)

She reached her apartment and tossed her bag and jacket on the couch. The sparsely-furnished space was a far cry from the cozy rental she’d had in Denver. She spent almost over a year turning that apartment into a home, accumulating little knick knacks and making it hers. When she returned to Thompson Creek, she left almost everything behind, bringing only her clothes and what little she could cram into her Toyota Matrix.

She could have rented a moving truck, but she opted to save her money. The job market in town was scarce, and she ended up dipping into her savings before she was hired on at the bar.

A life in Thompson Creek had never been in her plans. During college, she lived at home to save money. After … Well, she had more than enough reason to leave.

She’d enjoyed Denver, but coming back home only made her realize how much she missed small town life. When she ran into Eve, an old high school friend, at the grocery store, she been hesitant to meet at the bar. But the more she thought about it, rehashing high school might not be so terrible.

After her shower, she pulled on her favorite skinny jeans and a white, chain strap, halter top. The top had a hi-low cut, so the front skimmed the top of her low-cut jeans, giving an occasional peek of her tummy.

She pulled out her phone to text Eve, letting the other woman know she’d meet her at the pub. Taking her car didn’t make much sense when she lived so close by; besides, driving meant not drinking and she was in the mood for something stronger than soda.

She entered the bar, finding it busy for mid-week, but nothing Keeley and the other two girls couldn’t handle. Noah and his girlfriend, Alicia, sat at a table by the window with Merrick and another woman she didn’t know. She gave a small wave and then headed to the bar. She considered Noah a friend as well as her boss, but Alicia never seemed that friendly. While Merrick seemed like a good guy, other than knowing he owned TanTech and that he’d recently divorced, she knew little else about him.

She finished her scan of the room and found Gavin precisely where she expected him to be—at the pool table, cue in one hand, beer in the other, and Hailey hanging from his arm.

Instant irritation swept through her. It was hard not to hate Hailey. She was loud, mouthy, and catty. Oh, sure they were similar qualities to those of Keeley, but with a few massive differences. Hailey was a bitch and she had Gavin.

“Cora, my love.” Josh appeared behind the bar. “Whatcha doing here? I thought you were off?”

“I am.” She glanced down at her clothes. “Do I look like I’m working?”

Josh laughed and wisely didn’t answer.

“What can I get you?”

“Something fruity.”

“Fruity and fun, huh?” Josh winked, and she might have bought into his flirting if she wasn’t aware of the thing he had for a girl in his philosophy class. “You hanging solo?”

“No, waiting on an old friend from high school.”

He filled a tall cocktail glass with ice, added the shots of light, dark, and spiced rum, then poured in orange and pineapple juice and a dash of grenadine. He placed a cherry on top and slid the glass over to her.

“One Bahama Mama. Just watch out; these fruity things are deadly.”

“I have in fact had a drink before.” She smiled at his warning—it was the same one he gave her every time she asked for a fruity drink and he gave her a Bahama Mama.

She took her drink and found an empty table where she could watch the door for Eve. The fact that it also gave her a clear view of Gavin was a nice side benefit. Well, nice wasn’t exactly how she would describe watching Hailey draping herself all over him. She took a long sip from her drink.

A few minutes later, Eve appeared in the entrance. Cora half-rose from her chair and waved to catch Eve’s attention. They hugged briefly before sitting just as Keeley came over. Eve ordered a beer while Cora asked for another Bahama Mama. Somehow, she’d nearly drained her glass while waiting those few minutes for Eve.

“Sorry I’m late. I had to run my little brother, Jamie, to his dad’s place.” Eve pushed the loose strands of light brown hair behind her ears.

They chatted until Keeley came back with their drinks.

Eve took a long drag from her bottle then licked a drop from her lip.

“That’s so good,” she said.

“I take it you haven’t been out in a while?” Cora said with a chuckle.

“Not since I took in Jamie. I love the little guy, but paying for a sitter—heck,
finding
a sitter—makes it hard. I lucked out that his dad was able to take him tonight.”

“How long has he been with you?”

“Since our mom split a couple years ago.”

Cora nodded. She remembered how Eve had always kept quiet about her family, though most people were aware that her mom was an addict. Secrets in a small town like Thompson Creek never lasted long. Even if you didn’t know someone personally, chances were you heard of them and their life story.

The Walker family, or at least the boys, were a rare exception. The most anyone had ever known were sensationalized rumors.

“We were down in Boulder, but Jamie’s dad is here and offered to help out taking care of him.” Eve tipped her beer bottle to the side, letting it roll along the rim. “He’s mentioned going for custody, but frankly, the guy can hardly handle overnight visits.”

“Any word from your mom?”

“Not since Christmas. Enough about me. Last I heard you were living in Denver running some museum. What the hell are you doing back here?” Eve asked her.

“I wish I ran it. I only did inventory, but things didn’t work out,” she hedged. “I loved my job, but I left Thompson Creek for all the wrong reasons.”

Eve nodded. “You left after Lela died.”

“It … It was hard to be here and face what I did.”

“What happened to Lela was not your fault.”

If only guilt could be vanquished by those simple words.
Not your fault.
Cora chugged the last bit of her first drink and started on her second.

The sudden touch of hands on her shoulders caused her to jump in her seat. A glance up revealed Josh’s smiling face.

“Cora, my love, you didn’t tell me you were meeting
the
Evie Fray,” he said.

“Evie?” Cora’s eyebrows lifted and she looked to Eve, who shrugged.

“Evie Fray, breaker of my heart. Rejected my most sincere invitation to attend the Valentine’s dance during my freshman year. Why did you so callously reject me?”

Eve laughed. “Possibly because you called me Evie?”

Cora relaxed back in her seat as she dragged her thoughts from Lela and Gavin and into the present. That was what she needed. No more moping. For the night, she was going to forget about martyrdom.

Chapter Five

HE SENSED CORA’S PRESENCE before he saw her, though describing the sensation was impossible. It was more of a mental perception than a physical one, yet his mind’s ability to pick up on subtle details and changes to the environment was one he never doubted.

She was at the bar, talking with Josh. Apparently, his brother was turning on the charm because Cora smiled and gave a soft laugh. Gavin’s lips compressed as he realized how rare a sound that soft wispy laugh was.

Her head tipped to the side, and her long blond curls swayed from side to side. He could almost smell the gentle vanilla scent of it that hovered in his memory. The soft tangle of those curls brushing along his jaw had stayed with him in the hours since he’d been pressed against her.

He still didn’t know what the hell had possessed him to touch her. He couldn’t say what he’d been thinking, probably because he
hadn’t
been. He wanted to hate her. Hell, she
told
him to hate her. But he didn’t.

What happened to Lela—

A stinging slap on his ass jarred him from his thoughts. Hailey cackled loudly as she rested her chin on his shoulder. He barely kept himself from coughing at the overpowering odor of her floral perfume.

“You’re up, sugar,” she said and slid her hands around to his chest, letting them sink low.

Not one for public displays, he grabbed them before they could reach their goal. He stepped to the side and placed his beer on the ledge running the length of the wall before grabbing his pool cue from where it rested against his stool.

Lining up his shot, he called it then sunk the ball. He repeated the process, one after another, until only the eight ball remained. Playing pool always relaxed him. It was a game that came naturally to him. Well, not naturally so much as it was skill courtesy of the side effects from Sinclair’s experiments. When Gavin studied the table, he could almost see the angle lines floating there like a grid spread across the table.

After he made the final shot, he scooped the balls from the pockets and rolled them to the end of the table. He was racking them again when he noticed Hailey standing with her arms crossed over her chest. The stance pushed her breasts up enough they threatened to burst free.

“You hoping to distract me?” he asked.

“Just wondering if you’re here to play, or if you’re here to play pool?”

He almost asked what she meant, but while he could be oblivious sometimes, he wasn’t stupid. He flashed a cocky half-smile and gestured to the perfect triangle of balls.

“Your break.”

He watched Hailey bend over, pushing her ass in the air and giving a little wiggle. The glance she gave over her shoulder told him it was a less than subtle attempt at seduction. Like all her other attempts to grab his interest lately, it failed, yet he winked to reassure her, and she turned back to the game.

Hailey didn’t have the same level of skill as he did on the table, but she was damn good, so he wasn’t surprised when she cleared nearly all her balls before he had a shot. He hit the three ball in first and the cue ball glanced off the eight, sinking it and ending the game.

Not used to losing, Hailey gave a little pout. She took her time racking the balls, and as she lined up her next shot, his attention wandered.

Cora sat with a woman he vaguely recognized. He tried to place her, but nothing clicked. They must have been deep in conversation, because when Josh appeared at their table, neither of them looked up. At least not until Josh placed his hands on Cora’s shoulders and slid them down her arms.

Gavin’s grip on the cue stick tightened as Cora tossed her head back and laughed up at Josh. Before he even realized what he was doing, he was walking over there.

“What are you doing?” he asked Josh, who now sat with the two women.

His brother stared up at him confusion, wrinkling his brow. “I’m having a drink. What are you doing?”

“Aren’t you working?”

“Finished my shift ten minutes ago, so I thought I’d hang with my favorite girl.”

Gavin’s eyes narrowed and he glared at his brother, his fists itching. Josh might look a little on the scrawny side, but he possessed the same iron-fisted strength Gavin did. It wasn’t often Gavin had an opportunity to fight, and Josh was always game to exchange blows, but Gavin knew his anger would give him an edge that could cost him his control. That knowledge was enough to convince him to step back.

Josh peered around Gavin. “There a reason you’re playing boss?”

“Nah, just making sure you’re not making an ass of yourself,” he said with a smirk.

“I think you covered that for him,” Cora’s friend said, and Gavin turned his gaze to study her.

Up close, he got the sense again that he should recognize her, but still couldn’t figure it out. She was on the plain side with her mousy brown hair, although her big hazel eyes were pretty.

“You remember Eve?” Cora motioned to her friend. “She went to high school with us.”

“Ah, I thought I recognized you.”

“That’s okay, I don’t think we ever had any classes together.”

Unless she was a couple years older than Cora, they wouldn’t have. He and Caleb only attended the high school for a year before they were on their way to college. The time they did spend there had been in advanced classes with the seniors despite being three years younger.

Cora giggled, and the three of them turned to stare at her.

“I just got it,” Cora said, clearly experiencing the effects of her drinks.

“Got what?” Josh asked.

“Eve called Gavin an ass.” She laughed again and took a sip of her drink.

Gavin frowned. “What are you drinking?”

“Bahama Mama Mama.” She lifted her drink to toast him and it waved dangerously close to his face.

“You know those are triple shots, right?”

She gave Josh a mock-angry look. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“Hey, I warned you they were deadly.”

She nodded. “You’re right. You did. Now if you boys would please leave. I am here to catch up with Eve, and we don’t want to be distracted by your gorgeous faces.”

“All right, we’re going,” Josh said. He stood up and slapped Gavin on the back. “I’ve got a hot date, and you’ve got a pissed off bitch.”

Gavin twisted around to see Hailey shooting daggers at him with her eyes from across the floor.

“Shit.” He stomped off, ignoring the sound of laughs and a sweet, slightly-drunken giggle behind him.

He gave Hailey a shrug. “Sorry. Needed to ask Josh something.”

Judging by her narrow-eyed glare, she didn’t buy it, but he wasn’t about to explain the real reason he’d gone over there. He wasn’t even sure he could explain it.

“If you have something better to do …” she said, her words trailing off.

“No. I’m here.” He drained his beer then ran a hand over his mouth. “I’m gonna grab another, do you want one?”

He didn’t want for her answer. Hailey was always up for another drink. When he got back with the beers, all was forgotten and she challenged him to another game.

For the next hour, he tried to focus on Hailey and the pool table. Not the easiest task. Despite her short shorts, Hailey held no interest for him, and pool didn’t take much concentration.

Making it even harder was the fact that Josh’s date must have fallen through and he was back at Cora’s table—she obviously found him more amusing than possible. Even then, she was leaning into his brother, and it took everything in Gavin to not storm over there and drag Josh away from her.

A cue stick slammed into his chest, and he looked down at Hailey. Somehow, he’d missed seeing her standing right in front of him. If he thought she’d been pissed earlier, it was nothing compared to the expression she wore then.

“Do I look freakin' stupid?” she asked. Guessing it was a rhetorical question, he kept his mouth shut. “I don’t do games.”

“What?”

“Look, Gavin, I like what we’ve got. It’s fun. No strings. But I’m not sticking around if you’re spreading it around.”

“What does that mean?” He had no clue what she was talking about.

“It means I’m not gonna play second to Cora, and I’m sure as hell not gonna stand here and be ignored.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder and straightened her back. “Give me a call when you’re done with your little waitress.”

Denial was on the tip of his tongue, but he held it in, recognizing it for the lie it was. He wanted Cora. As fucked up as it was to want the woman responsible for destroying his life, he wanted her with a fierceness he’d never felt before.

Hailey snorted at his lack of response and snagged her coat from the hook on the wall. His eyes followed her path to the exit before returning to Cora.

He remembered when he first met her back in high school. She’d been so little, especially standing next to Lela. In so many ways, the two of them had been opposites.

Lela had been tall and slender, with an outgoing and headstrong personality that drew him to her the instant they met. She never sat back and waited for someone to speak for her. Cora, on the other hand, had been a tiny blond mouse, blending into the background so much he sometimes never even noticed her presence.

Staring at her now, he wanted to still see Cora as that young girl. He didn’t want to think of her as the person responsible for Lela’s death, and he sure as hell didn’t want to see her as a sexy woman whose husky moans left his body aching.

“See you finally managed to shake loose from Hailey,” Noah said as he approached the end of the table.

Gavin grunted and reached out to roll the last few balls into pockets, clearing the surface.

Noah propped his shoulder along the wall, crossing his arms. Already a big guy, the pose made him appear even more bulky. It would be normal if he actually needed to work out, but thanks to the Posthuman Project, working out wasn’t something any of them needed to do.

“You want to talk about it?”

“Fuck no. Hailey’s fine.”

“I’m not talking about Hailey. I’m talking about Cora and this silent battle the two of you are in. I understand you’ve got your issues with her, but you can’t keep raking her over for what happened.” He waited for Gavin to say something, but when he was met with silence, he turned on his heel and went back to Alicia.

Gavin scraped a hand over his face, letting out a sigh of defeat. If only it were that simple. If it was only a matter of blame, he could handle it, maybe one day even get over it. Noah was right; Gavin was in a battle, and it was one he couldn’t win. No matter what he did about Cora, things were gonna get fucked up.

He grabbed his beer and walked over to where she sat with Eve and Josh. When he sat beside her, the three of them briefly glanced at him, and he gave them a terse smile. Eve and Cora went back to talking while Josh was busy giving Gavin a knowing smirk.

Gavin sat there, listening to the two women share memories of high school. Some of the things they talked about were familiar, stories he’d heard from Lela only with a different perspective.

“Do you remember the time Terrance Melton toilet papered the teacher’s lounge?” Eve asked.

“No.” Cora shook her head and squinted as if searching for the memory. “When was that?”

“Eleventh grade. Wait, it might have been when you were in—” Eve’s words were cut off by the chiming of a text message alert. She checked her message, her lips tightening as she read it. “I’ve gotta go. Jamie’s dad got called into work and needs me to pick Jamie up.”

“That sucks,” Cora said, scrunching up her face.

Gavin couldn’t help the slight chuckle that escaped him. Sober Cora never scrunched her nose, and this new beyond tipsy Cora was cute.

“Yeah, that sucks, Evie.” Josh gave an exaggerated pout.

Eva gave Cora a hug then slugged Josh on the arm. “Keep calling me Evie, and I’ll hit you harder than that.”

“All right, no more Evie.” He held up his hands. “Promise.”

“Sure,” she said with mock-belief and grabbed her jacket.

“You’re not driving, are you?” Gavin studied her, trying to determine how intoxicated she was.

“I’m fine. I’ve been nursing my first.” She dropped a bill on the table. “I’ll give you a call next week, Cora, and we can figure out a day to go for lunch.”

She left behind an uncomfortable silence, broken only when Gavin kicked Josh under the table.

“Hey!” Josh leaned down to rub his shin, glaring at Gavin. A brief staring contest ensued until his eyes widened in understanding. “I need to check with Noah about the schedule. I’ll catch you guys later.”

Cora finished her drink and twirled the cocktail straw around the empty glass. Her entire demeanor change once she was alone with Gavin. Her giggles were gone and she avoided his gaze.

“Cora—”

“We shouldn’t talk,” she said.

“About what?”

“About Anything. Lela, Hailey, you … me.” She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, sending her curls fluttering across her face. “Talking between us doesn’t work.”