In the Wind (3 page)

Sawyer

I Don't Want To Love You (but I Do)

My brother is a dead man. I'm so pissed on the drive back to the house that I nearly fly out of the bed of the truck when we hit bump. Pulling me back to safety, Bodie gives one of her disapproving mom looks. I hold on to the side of the truck and wait to get behind the electrified fences surrounding the McLaughlin estate.

I half expect Jace to follow us, but he's too smart to try the same move twice. The full frontal attack was a bust. Next time, he'll go sneaky.

"I can't fucking believe it," I mutter after I showered off the mud. Now following the twins around the house, I fume. "Cooper sent my ex-boyfriend."

"He's hot. You're lucky for your first lover to be so sexy," Colbie says, wandering down a hallway. "Bodie's first had a baboon's ass for a face."

In the giant house, the siblings share this part of the second floor with three bedrooms, a mini kitchen, and a living room. I wait in the kitchen for the girls to appear. Soon, I shuffle after them downstairs to the indoor pool. Through the waiting, I send angry texts to Cooper. My brother the ass responds in shock that I might not want my ex-boyfriend bothering me here in Last Dollar.

"Wait, are you two not friends anymore?" he asks innocently.

"You're lucky I can't smack you," I send back.

Cooper sends me a frowny face, and I can picture him laughing his ass off back in Ellsberg.

"Dickhead," I say aloud to the twins who turn on a radio while silently arguing over what to listen to first.

The siblings claim to speak psychically. I assume they're lying, but these silent staring contests make me wonder. I guess Bodie wins since she turns on the
All Over The World: The Very Best Of ELO
album.

"I can't believe Jace is here," I mutter, still trying to wrap my head around how things shifted so quickly at the bar.

"You never thanked us for saving you," Bodie mentions before diving into the deep end.

"Do you think you hurt him?" I ask, refusing to give into Bodie by uttering those two words.

"We were careful not to fire at his face, chest, or crotch," Colbie points out. "You're welcome."

Grudgingly, I mutter a thank you. Colbie flips off her sister before jumping into the water.

"Don't feel bad," Zane says, hugging me from behind. "Everyone has an ex they regret."

Smiling, I realize he's wearing a red Speedo. "Really?"

Zane gives me a wink. "If you've got it, flaunt it, Sawyer."

Once he jumps into the water with his sisters, they begin racing back and forth. I sit in a chair and watch them swim. Bailey and I used to race each other. No matter how many times I beat her, she never stops hoping. I love her optimistic nature.
That and her stupidity.

I refuse to think of Jace kissing me. He's the enemy. Nothing more. No way do I recall the feel of him still on my lips. Or how his fingers felt against my skin. I refuse to remember how he tried to save me when he thought the siblings were a real threat. I hate him, and no amount of tongue action will change my mind on the matter.

Despite my dark thoughts about Jace, I find myself caressing my smiling lips. Nine long months without being kissed, touched, or wanted. He broke my heart, and no one else would do. Now, he's in Last Dollar kissing me again.
What the hell am I supposed to do now?

Jace

50 Ways to Say Goodbye

All night, I dream of Sawyer. Most of my dreams are nightmares. One though involves us skinny-dipping in the river not far from her house. That dream is more like a memory, leaving me with a morning erection. A long cold shower wakes me up and cools me down. Trying to rekindle anything with Sawyer is a mistake. I remind myself how I broke something that can never be fixed.

However, I wouldn't mind being friends again. As kids and teens, she and I spent most of our free time together. Sawyer sucked at making friends. Most girls couldn't endure her bossy nature while most boys were terrified of her constant dick threats. I knew when to obey, when to ignore, and when to tell her to shove it. We were an odd pair, but she was the best friend I ever had.

When things ended, she pretended I was a stranger unless forced to be friendly at social events. We can never truly be apart, not when we're tied together through family, friends, and the club. Except Sawyer bailed on Ellsberg. If she remains here, we might finally put our past behind us. Instead of comforting me, this idea feels like just another reason to force her home.

Before going to breakfast, I tell the woman at the front desk that I'll be staying for a while. Smiling, she focuses her gaze on the tips of my hair where pink paint remains. She seems to know my story, and I'm again struck by the size of this place. Skipping the hotel breakfast, I head two doors down to a busy Denny's where I'm seated by a little Mexican gal. She takes my order and avoids looking too directly at the pink in my hair. Despite her quiet nature, I suspect she's part of the local gossip scene.

"Do you know the McLaughlin family?" I ask when she refills my coffee.

"Everyone does."

"Would you know how to get a message to them, Sabie?" I ask, looking at her nametag.

"Me?"

"You or someone around here."

Sabie glances around as if nervous. I suspect she fucking with me though. Shrugging, she pulls out her order pad. "What do you want to tell them?"

"Jace Todds wants to make an appointment to speak with them and Sawyer Johansson. I won't leave town until we've spoken."

After Sabie walks away, I wonder how long before Sawyer or her friends respond. A few sips of coffee later, I'm surprised to see her return.

"You can come for lunch at their house. Eleven o'clock. They're having BLT sandwiches and fries."

Thanking her, I get the distinct impression of being hunted. My thoughts return to the paintball games at the Johansson property. The club uses them to keep guys sharp. Cooper also likes to see who doesn't work well with others. He's always testing his people and looking for weaknesses.

The world feels more crowded than when I was young, and I know our enemies always search for our weak spots. Likely Cooper worries about Sawyer being outside his power radius. After all, his only weakness is his family.

I wish I could claim my only weakness is my family. I worry about too much. I never know how I'm supposed to react. I watch others more than use my gut. Back when I was starting out, the Reapers enforcer Judd once said my insecurities would get me killed. While I hide my fucked up thinking better than I used to, it's not really gone.

I feel my insecurities gnawing at me when I arrive at the McLaughlin property.
What happens if I can't convince Sawyer to come home?
Cooper made it clear I wasn't returning to Ellsberg unless I had his sister with me.

Once the gates open slowly, I ride down a long road shadowed by large trees. I understand why Sawyer likes this place. Of course, if she misses Ellsberg, home is waiting for her.

I park in front of a massive house and realize I've underestimated the McLaughlin money. Growing up around the Johanssons, I thought I knew rich.

"Come on in before the heat gets you," a tiny Asian woman says from the door.

Stepping onto the front porch, I wipe my feet. The woman looks me over, and I feel insecure about my black jeans and tee. Inside though, a mustached older fellow wears only boxers, a red robe, and cowboy boots.
Yeah, maybe I'm actually overdressed.

"You the boy Johansson sent to take the filly back home?" the man asks, stopping in front of me.

"Yes."

"JJ McLaughlin," he says, shoving out his hand and giving mine a hard shake. "Pink is a good color on you."

My hand goes reflexively to the stained hair. "There was a little confusion last night."

"Oh, I'm sure there was," he says, gesturing for me to follow him down a hallway. "Sawyer has made her feelings pretty clear about remaining in Texas. Now, I'd like to help out Cooper. I respected Kirk a hell of a lot, but I can't blame Sawyer for wanting to stay. I mean, we are talking about Texas here."

We enter a large room with windows reaching up towards the sky. I try to hide my awe. I think my expression remains cold, as I've trained it to be over the years. JJ isn't looking at me though. He's still on the move towards what I realize is a kitchen leading to a back porch.

"I'm leaving this dilemma to you younglings. Good luck, Jace Todds."

JJ disappears down another hall while I peer outside at the pool area. Based on how Sawyer's pacing around, she won't be willing to talk. I catch sight of a guy hiding his face under a ball cap. He might be listening to Sawyer rant, but I doubt it. His face is too relaxed, and he seems more focused on the Pug sitting in his lap.

"Here's the deal," a woman says from behind me.

Turning around, I find the twins wearing bikini tops and denim shorts. I don't know which one spoke, and I suspect it doesn't matter.

"Sawyer is a little cray-cray since you tried to bitch-nap her last night," the redhead on the right says.

The other one walks to the door and peers out at a pacing Sawyer. "You dumped her, huh?"

"I'm not here to throw salt in that old wound. Her brother wants her back in Ellsberg."

"Bitch-napping isn't the way to make that happen," the redhead next to me says. "With Sawyer, you need finesse."

An older black woman enters. Startled, she looks me up and down before her gaze focuses on the pink in my hair. "Ready to eat lunch?" she asks in an accent I can't place.

"Yes, ma'am," the first twin says.

"What kind of finesse?" I ask the second one who seems more interested in helping me.

"First, you need to accept she doesn't want to leave yet. She's talking about living here, in fact. If you force her back to Ellsberg, she'll run again. Once you realize how futile these bitch-napping attempts are, you can move onto the finesse part."

"Okay, so she stays here...for now."

"Tell her brother you'll stay too and play bodyguard. You can tell Sawyer the same thing. She'll say she doesn't need your help, and she really doesn't. No one will mess with our guest, but you tell her you're just doing your job. She'll call you a pussy and threaten your crotch."

"Sounds about right."

"Then you wait. Sawyer likes it here, but she's on vacation. Vacations don't last forever."

Her sound advice makes my unease disappear. "What's your name?"

"Bodie. That's Colbie. Don't worry if you can't keep us straight. Oh, and she's Mama May Dee."

"Which one of you shot me last night?"

The twins share a glance before laughing. Mama May Dee laughs too. Growing up with two older sisters, I'm accustomed to being outnumbered by mocking women.

"What if I had shot back?" I ask while Bodie knocks on the glass door.

"We knew who you were," Bodie says, "and that you wouldn't get into a gunfight in our territory. If you'd been some perv grabbing Sawyer, we'd be laughing over your grave today."

Sitting at the long kitchen table, Colbie smiles at me. "We love to laugh. Life, death, good or bad, we find a reason to laugh."

"It's good for the heart," I say, and Colbie's smile widens.

Sawyer enters the house behind the ball cap guy. Clearly ready to tear me a new one, she catches Colbie smiling in my direction.

"He's the devil," she hisses. "Trust nothing he says."

"I met the devil once," Mama May Dee says while frying bacon. "He was a smooth talker with green eyes like emeralds. Told me he could make all the pain go away. Promised he knew all the answers."

Sawyer frowns at the woman, but ball cap guy pats Mama May Dee on the back. "What did you do?"

"Told him to kiss my ass. Jesus was my only master. Once he knew I was no fool, he threw his beer and stormed away. Stupid devil."

Sawyer isn't sure how to continue after the story. I suspect this is why Mama May Dee told it.

"I'm not going home," she says, staring up at me.

"I know."

"I'm moving here."

"I know that too. Bodie told me you plan to stay."

"Why did you listen to her, but not me?"

"She wasn't screaming at me at the time."

Sawyer gives me her Billy Idol snarl, but I just smile remembering when she perfected that move.

"Well, now that we're all friends," Colbie announces, "let's sit down for lunch and reminisce about the time I shot Jace in the ass with a pink paint pellet."

"You didn't make that shot," Bodie mutters.

"I'm fairly certain I did, desert flower."

"You're fairly wrong, jungle skunk."

"Hey, I was being nice."

"Not really."

"Hush, brats," Mama May Dee says in a soothing voice. "I don't want to throw this fine food out for the dogs."

The twins glare at one another while ball cap guy joins them at the table.

"This is Zane," Colbie says. "He's our brother. That's why we keep him around, in case you were wondering."

Zane is too busy on his phone to acknowledge me.

"He's rude," Colbie mutters. "He also smells like boysenberries."

Zane glances at his sister. "My woman smells like boysenberries, and she rubbed up against me this morning."

"She's a teacher," Colbie announces. "Teaches elementary children how to speak English. Zane is very proud to be dating a woman who can read and write."

Zane yanks Colbie's hair, eliciting a growl from her. A dog growls behind me and then another one. I feel like I'm falling into the
Twilight Zone
, but at least Sawyer isn't screaming at me.

"I don't trust you," she whispers, passing me to sit at the table.

"I'm here to protect you until Cooper is satisfied you're safe."

"My bodyguard, huh?" Sawyer says, wrapping her long curls into a bun on the top of her head. "So you'll take a bullet to save my life then?" When I nod, she turns to Bodie. "Please shoot at me."

"Bullets ain't cheap, darling. Besides, he's perfectly tall. I think we should keep him around in case we really do need a human shield."

"I prefer him dying to me being the human shield," Zane says.

"Fine," Sawyer mutters, "but I'm not listening to him or being nice to him or even talking to him."

Colbie says, "Whatever."

"Don't care," Zane adds.

Bodie grunts. "No skin off my ass."

Sawyer frowns at their lack of interest in her rage. In Ellsberg, she's accustomed to much more attention. Her family has power, and Sawyer's temper is legendary. Homeschooled after she refused to listen to her teachers, she never met an authority figure outside of her parents she didn't dismiss.

Her siblings weren't immune to her wrath either. She once chased Bailey down the street with a tire iron over an argument about spinach. Rather than brush the incident under the rug, her mom added it to the family's Christmas letter. Yes, in Ellsberg, Sawyer Johansson was a force to be feared and avoided.

Here in Last Dollar, she appears normal next to the McLaughlins. Makes me wonder if Sawyer feels like she's fallen into the
Twilight Zone
too.