Sentinel Read online

  She was sounding like the hard-to-get guy in a B rom com flick. “So, it’s like that?”

  She headed toward the door, pausing with her hand on the knob. “I don’t have time for this and neither do you. See ya.”

  I fell back on the bed as she walked out, blowing out a breath. This wasn’t what we had planned, but I couldn’t help the shift that was happening in my mind when I thought about the night we’d spent together. I’d seen a different side of her. I knew her sighs, the taste of her lips.

  I knew the shape of her as she slept against my shoulder.

  She could say that this was just a hook up, but I knew differently. I knew she had felt something beyond primal lust, and even in the light of day, those feelings were still there.

  I had to be patient, and get her to see we were just getting started.

  Chapter Six

  Becky

  I tucked my hair behind my ear before I aimed a well-placed kick to the bag. It swung wildly on the chains that held it suspended above the floor. My body protested when I did it again, but I pushed through it. I’d only managed a three hour nap this morning and it was catching up to me.

  Well that, and… the fact that I’d barely slept at all last night. Gary had made sure of that.

  Gritting my teeth, I grabbed the bag, and drove my knee into it. I thought I would have him out of my system by now.

  But even after a long, hot shower, I could still feel his touch on my skin and remember his scent.

  With a sigh, I let go of the bag and collapsed onto the mat, stretching my sore muscles. Truth be told, I hadn’t wanted to leave Gary’s bed this morning. The way he’d claimed my body again and again had been more than just a night of sexual release. Something deep down inside that I had ignored for so long was awake now.

  There hadn’t been many words between us, but then again, there hadn’t been any need to speak.

  Only to feel.

  I had woken up before him and had watched him sleep. Everyone was vulnerable when they slept and Gary had been no different. The crease in his forehead was gone, the lines that bracketed his mouth relaxed.

  I’d traced his tattoos for at least the tenth time, following the dark whorls up his forearms to his shoulder, where the pattern burst into a web of intricate lines. I’d been dying to ask him what they meant, but was too afraid of learning something intimate about him.

  Something that might make me care.

  “Ugh,” I whispered, dragging my hand over my face. Why had I slept with him in the first place? We hadn’t said more than fifty words between us since dinner, but there was something about him that drew me in.

  And made me want to stay.

  And now, now I was in deep shit. Gary hadn’t wanted me to leave this morning, and it had been almost impossible to resist the urge to stay with him, forget the Gallery, blow off whatever I thought was waiting for me back home.

  But if I gave in, it might turn into something I couldn’t handle. I couldn’t have a man in my life who would have some claim on me, would resent me dancing off a bad day on stage, and would eventually want me to give up my life.

  I would have to deal with his inevitable jealous tantrums every time a guy said something or touched me in an innocent way.

  Most of all, I didn’t want to be under any man’s thumb. I had watched the women parade through my father’s life, always thinking they would be the one who would change him. He had used them, and when their fun ran out, pushed them aside for the next one. Sure, they were as much to blame as he was, but I never wanted to be them. To be so enamored with a man I forgot who I was.

  It would have been nice if we could’ve just enjoyed the sex, but things got complicated and I couldn’t afford complications in my life.

  Hell, it was already complicated enough without Gary involved.

  Flipping over on my stomach, I pushed myself into the downward dog pose, stretching my entire body. One thing was for sure. It was not going to be the last time I saw Gary Holmes. And I would have to figure out how I was going to handle that.

  **

  Later that night, I watched Misty perform from the wings of the stage, admiring the way she could completely wrap herself around the pole. While I could do some interesting things, I couldn’t do that, and the entire place went wild when she did.

  Despite the looming war around us, the turnout was still decent, and it was another great night in the black when all was said and done. Actually, it had been a great month, or at least that was what Jan reported to me. Tomorrow I would go and deposit over thirty thousand dollars in the bank, taking out the ten percent I owed Jack Carry.

  The rest? Well, it would go to keeping this place upright and functioning.

  Misty did her finale split and I turned away, walking back toward the office. I really wasn’t feeling running the bar tonight or getting on stage.

  In fact, I found myself scanning the crowd every so often despite the pep talk I’d given myself hours before. Damn Gary Holmes and the number he’d done on me. I wasn’t going to turn into some dog with a wagging tail, waiting for her master to throw her a bone.

  I was not.

  I slid between tables, making my way back to the office where Misty had gone. I sat down behind the desk, and tried to throw my energy, or lack thereof, into looking over the financials. There was no crowd for me to study here, no over-dressed familiar frame to look for. I carefully went over the profit column and made a list of things that I needed to do to the Gallery.

  The place needed a good scrubbing by a professional cleaning service.

  The bar needed to be resurfaced.

  We needed a new cooler.

  There were a hundred things I could think of.

  “You remind me of your father behind that thing.”

  I looked up to find Jack standing in the doorway. Some were fooled by his kindly appearance, but one look in his eyes told you he was not a man to be crossed. I had seen him console a person in one arm while he shot with the other hand.

  “Coming to check up on your money?”

  He walked in and sat in one of the rickety chairs in front of the desk, stretching out his legs. “I already told you, I don’t want your money. I’m content with the fact that it’s under our protection, Becky.”

  “I’m paying my fair share,” I said, not wanting special treatment just because I was a woman. “I can give you your cut tonight if you’d like.”

  “That’s not why I’m here,” he said darkly, his brows knitted together. “You’re in danger, sweet girl.”

  I squirmed at the sound of the endearment. It had been years since I heard that come out of his mouth. Back then, Jack was practically a permanent fixture here, hanging out with my father. I was always running under their feet, no doubt irritating the hell out of them. But he had always taken time to listen to what I had to say, patting me on the head afterward and calling me sweet girl.

  If he was saying it now, he was truly worried about me.

  “I can take care of myself, Jack.”

  He chuckled. “Oh, I know you can, Beck. There’s no doubt in my mind you’ll shoot first and ask questions later, but this time, I’m afraid the threat is far more than any of us can handle. I made a promise to Simon to watch out for you, and that’s what I’m doing now.”

  I swallowed hard. “What do you need me to do?”

  He leaned forward, worry lining his face. “I need for you to listen to me, alright? This is for your own good and I’ll have someone watch out for the Gallery while you’re gone.”

  “Gone?” I asked. I couldn’t be gone. This was my business, my livelihood, and while Jan could run it for a few days, she didn’t exactly have the skills to fill in all the gaps. Especially if I was totally out of the picture.

  “Just for a few days, maybe a week,” he was saying, the expression in his eyes firm. “Listen to me, I need for you to leave, Beck. They are gunning for you and I can’t have you getting hurt.”

  “Jack, please,
” I said. “Post extra guards, make us check them at the door, but don’t make me leave this place.” Without it, I was no one. I wasn’t strong outside of the Gallery, as I’d found out last night with Gary. I wasn’t this amazing Becky White who had everyone in awe when they saw me without the stage behind me.

  “I’ve made up my mind,” Jack said, his voice harsh. “Kid, come in here.”

  Oh no, not him. Anyone but him. Gary walked through the door, with no expression on his handsome face. His eyes met mine and my skin heated instantly, flashbacks of last night bombarding my mind. I could tell Jack what happened, get Gary off my back, but if I did, Jack would assign someone else and I couldn’t deal with that right now.

  “This woman is like a daughter to me,” Jack said, pushing himself out of the chair. “She gets hurt, I will gut you, got it?”

  “Clear as day,” Gary said.

  Jack reached over the desk to touch my arm, something in his expression causing a sudden rush of tears to blur my vision. He was worried. I had never seen him in such a state before.

  Something was about to go down and it wasn’t going to end well.

  “Listen to the Kid,” he said softly, patting my arm. “I got a shit ton of people to watch over, Beck. Don’t make me focus just on you, alright?”

  “I-I won’t do anything stupid,” I said, swallowing the emotions welling up in my throat. “I promise.”

  Jack’s weathered face crinkled into a smile and he straightened. “Sweet girl.”

  I nodded, afraid to speak lest I break out in tears, and watched as he turned toward the door, laying a hand on Gary’s shoulder. He leaned in and whispered something to him, the barest flinch of emotion flickered on Gary’s face before Jack walked out, leaving us in the room together.

  I let out a shaky breath, not wanting to believe what had just happened.

  “I didn’t ask him for this.”

  My head snapped up, taking in the man standing in front of me. “So, you’re saying you had nothing to do with this?”

  “Nothing,” he said, taking a step in my direction. “Listen, Becky.”

  I held up my hand, and pushed out of the chair. I didn’t want to talk about last night. I didn’t want to talk about anything with him. My nerves were shot, my concern for Jack, and even the Gallery, growing steadily by the minute.

  “Grab your things,” he said after a moment. “We need to leave.”

  I spun around on him, stabbing a finger at his chest. “Just because we had sex doesn’t mean you get to tell me what to do!”

  He held up his hands, though his lips fell in a straight line. “You heard Jack. I’m just carrying out orders. Get your shit and come on. I don’t have all night.”

  I stood rooted in place, staring him down. “Where are you taking me? I have a right to know.”

  “And you will,” he countered as he turned toward the door. “Just as soon as we get there. You got ten minutes.”

  I watched, mouth agape, as he walked out of the office without another word. Was he serious? Didn’t he know who he was messing with?

  I stalked back to the desk, grabbing my bag and throwing the money into it, along with some personal items just in case I didn’t see this place for a while. I wasn’t about to balk at Jack’s plea. A lot of people depended on the Legion president, and I didn’t want to be one of his sources of worry if I didn’t have to be.

  But I wasn’t happy he’d assigned Gary. One night with him and my mind was all scrambled; I couldn’t imagine what would happen if we spent a long time together.

  Picking up my bag, I slung it over my shoulder, walking to the door and shutting off the light behind me. I needed to have a quick conversation with Jan.

  Just because I wasn’t here didn’t mean I would be in the dark concerning the Gallery’s affairs.

  Chapter Seven

  Gary

  Becky was pissed.

  I pulled into the dirt driveway that wound through the woods, the truck’s headlights bouncing all over the road. She had kept me waiting a full thirty minutes after Jack had left, talking to this person and that person before finally coming near me. I knew she was worried about leaving the business, but she didn’t understand what was going on, what we had learned from our own sources. Becky was on a list of Diablo hits, along with a whole shit ton of others who were currently being ferried to safehouses as fast as we could get them there. Jack had put a few on a priority list, one that Fox had been working all afternoon getting everything lined up.

  When they had assigned me to Becky permanently, I hadn’t even flinched. After all, I didn’t want anyone else watching over her.

  Well, unless she was going to stay pissed off at me the entire time.

  Finally, the cabin came into view and I pulled the truck up to the door, shutting off the engine. “Stay here,” I said. “I’ll make sure it’s secure.”

  She didn’t even look my way and I sighed inwardly as I got out, walking up the stairs to the cabin door and inserting the key. Jack had told me he wanted Becky out of town, far away from any danger. I had been given a key and an address before riding over to the Gallery with only one directive: keep her alive.

  It was about to be the hardest assignment they had ever given me.

  After ensuring the place was still safe, I walked back out to the truck and grabbed the bags from the backseat, full of food and provisions for at least a two week stay, plus my own clothes. “Come on, it’s clear.”

  “That’s a relief,” she muttered, throwing open her own door. “I would hate for someone to blow your head off.”

  Well at least she was talking to me again. “Just think of the mess,” I added before walking back up the stairs. Her snort carried through the still evening air. Well this was going to be fun.

  Once she was inside, I shut the door and dropped the locks one by one, propping a chair under the doorknob for good measure. While someone would had to have followed us to know where the hell we were, I wasn’t taking any chances. The cabin itself didn’t have a lot of windows, and with one way in, one way out, it was going to be easy to defend if someone did find us.

  Besides, I was told the basement had enough arsenal to take on an army.

  Dropping the bags on the table, I watched as Becky walked around the small living room kitchen combo.

  “I’ve stayed in worse, I guess.”

  “I know I have,” I chuckled, pulling out the beer from the bag. “Drink?”

  She looked over at me, shaking her head. “No, I’m good. Have you ever been here before?”

  It was my turn to shake my head. “Never. Care to look around?”

  Becky shrugged and I started at one side of the cabin, throwing open one of the three doors. “Bathroom. Closet. Bedroom.”

  Becky pushed past me, staring at the queen-sized bed in the room. “Is this the only bedroom?”

  “Last door,” I offered, knowing exactly what she was thinking. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”

  She didn’t respond, though I could see her jaw tighten in the dim light. As much as I wanted to grab her up and kiss away her anxiety, I couldn’t. She was distancing herself for a reason and I needed to give her some space until she figured it out.

  I wasn’t going anywhere until she did.

  “This is a mess.”

  Her soft words echoed what was rolling around in my head already. It was a damn fine mess and we were both smack dab in the middle of it all.

  “Jack will straighten this out and you’ll be back to the Gallery before you know it.”

  Becky turned her beautiful eyes on me and I could see the worry in her expression. “What if he can’t, Gary? What if… whatever he’s scared might happen… happens?”

  I knew what she was talking about. After we had the list, Jack had been quiet between barking orders, wringing his hands together like a damn woman when he thought no one was looking. He was worried, which gave the rest of us reason to be worried as well. As much as I wanted to be at his side, prepari
ng for this fight with the rest of the club, I also knew he’d given me this assignment for a reason.

  And it had nothing to do with the fact that Becky and I had slept together. No, I was pretty sure if he’d known about that, he would’ve put a bullet in my head given the tenderness I saw from him tonight toward the woman who had turned my life upside down in a few hours’ time.

  Crossing the room, I didn’t care if she flinched when I touched her shoulders with my hands, giving them a squeeze. “It’s gonna be okay. No one is going to get to you without going through me first.”