Chapter 51
As I drove up to my house I noted that the good news was, Dad and Meredith’s cars weren’t there.
Dad called the night before to say that he and Meredith were going to spend the day at their house cleaning and sorting through stuff. I told him I wanted to get a few hours of work done to stay on target and then I’d come and help.
The bad news was, there was a Harley in my drive and on that Harley sat Tack.
Shit.
I pulled up to the curb so I wouldn’t block him in and he threw his leg off his bike. He started to the front door so I headed there.
“Hey peaches,” he greeted when I got close.
I had not bothered with makeup or hair. I’d taken a shower and put on another pair of yoga pants, a camisole and a zip up hoodie. I hoped I looked like hell but the way he was watching my hips move as I walked I was guessing I didn’t. Or at least my hips didn’t.
“Hey,” I replied.
His eyes lifted from my hips to mine. “Got a minute?”
“Depends,” I answered. “Are you here to tell me Ginger owes you three million dollars now?”
“Nope.”
“Are you here about Ginger at all?”
“Nope.”
“Are you here to freak me out in any other way?”
“Nope.”
“This would include asking me for a date,” I warned.
“Babe, don’t date,” he replied.
This was a surprise so I tipped my head to the side. “You don’t?”
“Do tequila shots followed by five hours of sex count as a date?”
he asked.
“Um… no,” I answered.
“Then I don’t date.”
I smiled at him.
Then, stupidly, I asked, “You can have sex for five hours?”
He smiled at me.
Yikes.
Moving on.
“Okay, you can have a minute.”
“Obliged,” he muttered.
I opened the door and the alarm started beeping. Then I panicked because I forgot the code. Then I deep breathed and remembered the code. Then I punched it in and the beeping stopped.
Shoo.
I turned to see Tack followed me in and closed the door.
“See you domesticated,” he noted, glancing around.
“No, my stepmom has been in residence due to fire damage to her living room. She domesticated.”
His eyes came to me. “She in residence now?”
“She’s at her house cleaning up fire damage.”
“That sucked, babe,” he said softly.
“Tell me about it,” I agreed and walked into my house, dumping my bag and purse on my couch and turning to find he followed me and he did it close.
I tipped my head back to look at him.
“I don’t have any tequila,” I remarked and he threw his head back and laughed. His laugh was just as gravely and rumbly as his voice and I had to admit, I liked it.
Shit.
Time to lay ground rules.
“You should know, yesterday, I made a new life decision. I’ve sworn off men.”
His brows went up. “You have?”
“Yep.”
“Hawk know this?”
“I haven’t shared directly but I sent a message.”
His eyes grew intense. “Why?” he asked.
“It’s a long story and I don’t mean to be rude or anything but I have to get some work done. Then I have to gather up all my little black dresses and high-heeled shoes and take them to Goodwill.
Then I have to go help clean up fire damage. Then I have to come home and make cookie dough. So maybe we can have your talk.”
He ignored my suggestion. “Sounds like you got a full day.”
“I have a full life.”
“Seems to me your fixin’ to punch some holes into that, no Hawk, no high-heeled shoes.”
“I’ve decided to take up hiking.”
He grinned.
“And ferret rescue,” I added.
His grin turned to a smile.
“Um… you wanted to talk?” I prompted.
“Yeah –” he started but didn’t continue because right then, the room exploded.
That’s right, exploded.
One second we were standing there bantering and the next the windows blew inward, glass shattering, plaster burst from the walls everywhere and then, of course, there was the loud noise of multiple automatic weapons all around.
I stupidly froze but luckily Tack didn’t. He picked me up at the waist, bent low but somehow managed to carry me through the living room to the kitchen where he put me on my feet and threw the door closed.
“What’s happening?” I shouted forgetting to pause and, say, check for bleeding gunshot wounds on him or me.
“Fuck,” he muttered, yanked his phone out of his jeans and flipped it open all the while crowding me across the kitchen until I hit the wall at the back at the same time the noise came into my living room.
I put my hands on him as he pressed in, shielding me with his body. “Tack!”
The noise stopped.
He had his phone to his ear and he had obviously engaged.
“Drive-by, Sam’s house. Sounds like three, four weapons. I’m cut off from my bike and Sam’s car. I need immediate recon and I need to know why the fuck they targeted her house for a drive-by.”
He paused. “Right.” Then he flipped his phone shut.
I was staring up at him, my throat feeling clogged, adrenalin surging through my system, every centimeter of skin on my body tingling, a feeling that was becoming all too familiar.
“Tack,” I whispered.
He looked down at me. “Stay here, hang tight. I’ll be back.”
He’d be back?
What did he mean, he’d be back?
Then he was gone.
Oh God. Shit. What did I do? Someone shot up my living room!
My purse was in the living room. My phone was in my purse.
Shit.
Why hadn’t I put a phone in the kitchen? Why? Why, why, why? First thing whatever morning it would be when it was safe again to be in my fucking house I was putting a phone in every room.
The kitchen door opened and Tack was there, his arm extended to me. “Sam.”
I was still pressed against the back wall and my panicked eyes went to him.
“What?” I snapped.
“Come here,” he said.
Was he crazy? Here was the living room! And ten seconds ago that room exploded!
“What?” I snapped again.
“Now!” he clipped back and I moved. Rushing to him, he grabbed my hand, dragged me through the nightmare that was my living room, out the front door and straight to his bike. He threw a leg over then I climbed up behind him, wrapping my arms around him and holding on tight. The engine roared, he backed it out, turning into the street and then we shot away.
