Still Standing (Wild West MC 1)

I spoke.

“Another thing I’ve learned, Detective Scott, is that if I make a mistake, I’ll pay for it. I’ve also learned, even if I don’t or I’m not the one who made the mistake, there’s a good chance I’ll pay for that too.”

Scott flinched.

“I think we’re done,” Buck put in.

Scott leaned back, his attention cutting to Buck.

“You had a busy afternoon,” he noted, clearly not agreeing with Buck that we were done.

“Yeah,” Buck agreed.

“You know who pulls Esposito’s strings,” Scott continued, and that was when my body got tight and it didn’t feel all that good.

Was Buck wrong that there would be no blowback?

“I know,” Buck stated.

“Then you know that not only you, but now Clara is on his radar.”

“I’m thinkin’, Scott, that Clara made clear where she stands on this so maybe you can let me worry about that,” Buck clipped.

Wait.

There was something to worry about?

Scott looked at me then back at Buck. “Look at her, Hardy, she doesn’t know it all. How can she be clear where she stands if she doesn’t know it all?”

“You look at her, Scott, she’s had a bad fuckin’ day,” Buck returned. “And another thing, you showin’ here after doin’ what you did, knowin’ what her day brought, knowin’ what seein’ your ass again would make her feel, that takes balls, brother. And not the good kind.”

They glowered at each other with such intensity, I could feel the heat from their glares.

Luckily, Scott broke the angry-hot-guy scowling contest and moved to the door.

He stopped with his hand on the handle, turned and his eyes hit me.

“Cops don’t fraternize with people involved in investigations, not during. It’s not frowned on, it’s somethin’ that could lose me my badge. But I could have helped you after. I could have helped you get through those reporters. I didn’t because if I did, I knew I’d want to help you more for reasons that go beyond protecting and serving. I didn’t need that shit, but more importantly, you didn’t need it either. So I kept my distance. Nora Finnegan is a piece of trash whore, she latched on to me. What you saw was not what you think.”

I stared at him in shock and Buck’s body coiled so tight, if it exploded, it wouldn’t surprise me.

But the detective wasn’t done.

“I lost sleep because I know precisely what I did to you, Clara, and still lose it because I’ve kept my eye on you and I know that I’m responsible for where you are and how you look right now. And I’m here because I finally have an excuse to do something about it.” He paused then concluded, “You change your mind, I’ll always be here.”

With that, he opened the door and walked out of it.

Buck gave my shoulders a squeeze and went back to his sandwich and beer.

I stayed at the counter and stared at the door until I saw Detective Scott’s car start down the lane.

Then I turned my head to Buck. “What was that?”

Buck swallowed a bite of sandwich and chased it with a tug on his beer.

He slid his eyes to me and replied, “Wants a piece of your ass, babe.”

I walked to stand in front of him saying, “I’m not talking about that. I’m blocking that out. That didn’t happen. I’m talking about the someone who’s pulling Esposito’s strings and how I don’t know the whole story.”

Buck transferred his sandwich from one hand to the other so he could put his hand to my waist, slide it around to my back and pull me closer.

“Scott knows about Esposito. But he clearly doesn’t know Chap took care a’ things.”

Oh.

Right.

Onward.

“Is that the whole story?” I queried.

“Later,” he said.

And I could take from that it wasn’t the whole story.

“Later? When later?” I asked.

“Later,” he repeated then shoved the last of his sandwich in his mouth.

“Is Tia in more danger? Am I? Are you?”

He pulled me closer, finished chewing, swallowed and bent his neck so his face was in mine.

“Baby, in my bedroom, you made a decision. Now you gotta trust me. You’ve had enough for today. But I’m tellin’ you, I got your back, and soon’s I find your girl, I got hers. So, let it go for now, and when I think you’re ready, I’ll tell you, but that’s gonna be later.”

I stared in his rich brown eyes that were so very close to mine. The brown was deep, intense. His lashes were thick and spiky.

His eyes really were beautiful.

“Okay,” I whispered.

I watched those eyes smile. Then I felt his lips touch mine.

He pulled away and asked, “You doin’ okay? You need pills?”

I shook my head.

He nodded, grabbed his beer, then let me go but took my hand.

He led me to the couch and put his beer on the coffee table, picked up a remote and arranged us so he was sitting, feet up on a coffee table, and I was lying on the couch, my cheek to his thigh.