AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Less than an hour later, Jack and Alex had walked in the front door. Jack was slightly subdued, but Alex was animated, a big smile cracking his face. “Done deal, ladies. Dexter is safely at home and Wayne has slithered back into his hole, outfoxed.”
Sara had slumped against the kitchen island, euphoric relief washing over her. Until she looked at Hope, whose attention was focused on Alex’s right hand. Sara followed with her gaze. A thin crust of blood covered her brother-in-law’s knuckles. She whipped her head to Jack. His right hand was even worse, swollen and discolored.
Hope was now staring wide-eyed at Alex. “Is everyone all right?”
He placed both hands on her shoulders and spoke calmly. “Yes, everyone. A couple of punches got thrown, but it was no big deal.”
Jack had agreed, and the two men presented a united front that the meeting was more of a tea party than a fist fight. Sara was sure Hope didn’t believe it any more than she did, but the men wouldn’t be moved from their position, only revealing that Jack decked Wayne while Alex hit someone else.
Now Sara lifted the ice from Jack’s hand, inspecting his knuckles. “Do you need to have that looked at by a doctor?”
He scoffed as he opened and closed his fist several times. “It was one punch. I’m fine.” Then he smiled. “But thanks for worrying about me.”
She couldn’t resist his smile and quickly kissed him. “You’re welcome. I think it’s adorable that you’re friends with Dexter.”
“Why? He’s a cool guy.”
“You’re a pretty cool guy too. Is that why you punched Wayne? Did he threaten Dexter?”
Jack dropped his eyes before meeting her gaze again. “No... that was about you. He said something I didn’t appreciate, and I let him know it.”
Her heart squeezed. Being defended was a new experience for her. One she could get used to. “Thank you. I love you.”
“Right back at you, darlin’.” He readjusted the ice bag, flinching slightly. “I’m afraid I’m not much of a hero. I didn’t land my punch well. Alex hardly scraped his knuckles.”
“You’re all the hero I need.” She slid closer to him. “What really happened? Trust me, Hope will get the story out of Alex, so you don’t need to worry about divulging your secret.”
He sighed and took her hand in his left. “Wayne brought some muscle, and we weren’t expecting that. I wasn’t, anyway. Things were getting pretty tense until Alex appeared.” He laughed, his face transforming. “Me throwing the first punch probably didn’t help. Wayne might be a dick, but he’s not stupid. He knew it was no use arguing and took off. The two henchmen followed pretty quickly, and we took Dexter home. End of story.”
“Uh-huh.” They stared at each other, but it was clear Jack and Alex had formed an agreement. She wouldn’t get anything else out of him and checked the time instead. She had ordered takeout from the Serenity bar, and it should be ready. “I’ll go get our dinner.”
When Sara walked into the bar, several white paper bags sat on the counter. Heather stood at the other end, talking to someone she couldn’t see. The bartender’s body was rigid, and her face was tense. As Sara moved closer, the other person was revealed to be Wayne, and a bright red flame ignited in her gut. Forgetting about dinner, she marched around the bar toward him.
A grim, satisfied smile rose to her face at the livid bruise near Wayne’s chin, and his jawline was swollen on the left side of his face. Heather stomped to the other side of the bar. Wayne sighed, then caught Sara’s movement and looked up.
“Nice bruise there, Wayne. Exciting morning?”
He narrowed his eyes before taking a sip of his gin and tonic. “Oh, shut up. I’m not in the mood, so go away.”
“No, I don’t think I will. I want to make sure you understand that if you weren’t such a greedy bastard, you might have gotten that land. You might have even run Half Moon Bay clear out of business.” That was perhaps a slight exaggeration, but apt for the circumstances.
Timmons rolled his eyes. Sounding incredibly bored, he asked, “What are you talking about?”
“You and I started out flirty. But it wasn’t until you found out I was Hope’s sister that you really started pushing me to invest. And even harder on that particular land. You just couldn’t resist the pièce de résistance—having me betray my own sister.”
A faint smile crossed his mouth. “You have to admit, it was a nice touch. Very poetic.”
“But Jack and I put the pieces together. I bet you were surprised this morning, weren’t you?”
His smile was replaced by a growl, and he touched his puffy jaw for a moment. “Surprise isn’t the word. And why am I talking to you, anyway? Piss off. You’re nobody. Your precious sister is nobody. And your loser boyfriend is less than nobody. Get out of my sight.”
Sara leaned down in front of his face, and a savage grin rose. “And that’s what kills you, isn’t it? A bunch of nobodies beat you at your own game. And judging from the bruise on your face, Jack isn’t the loser here. You are. Go to hell, Wayne.”
She straightened, picked up his drink, and tossed it in his face.
Whirling around, she marched back to the other end of the bar where Heather stood, mouth agape. “I’ll pay later. I don’t want that asshole coming after me.”
The bartender held up both hands. “Oh, no. Your dinner is on the house. That prick just fired me for a really stupid reason. I couldn’t hear what you were talking about, but after dumping his drink all over him, you’re my hero.” She pushed the bags toward Sara with a laugh that was only slightly unhinged. “Get out of here.”
