“Who’s we?”You and whose army are rolling up on me?
“A bunch of us.” Pierce rolled a shoulder. “The guys in the kitchen. Some of the regulars. And Sam. Sam’srealupset.”
Pierce tried to make that as threatening as possible, but Chance knew for a fact Sam Ulker couldn’t run more than five feet without doubling over wheezing. It’d be like shooting fish in a barrel, going after Sam.
“I see,” Chance said. “And you all think I’m going to hurt her?”
“Well,” the kid said bluntly, “yes.”
Christ. Chance had no idea what to say to that. His chest ached like Pierce had socked him as hard as he could.
“Don’t get me wrong, sir,” Pierce went on. “I’m a big fan of your work.”
“My work?” Chance groaned. “Jesus, how do you even know about that?”
“I see things here.”
Chance’s stomach dropped. When he’d been picking up women in the Swing Inn, he hadn’t considered a kid might be watching and taking notes. Yeah, Pierce was seventeen, but still too young to bea fanof Chance’s behavior. Jesus.
“Mywork,” Chance said through gritted teeth, “is over. I’m done with all that. Forget whatever you saw before. Please.”
“But you’re here now.” Pierce was trying to be tough, but there was uncertainty there, too. He assumed Chance was here to hunt.
Chance glanced around the bar, wondering how many other people thought that. Probably all of them. It wasn’t like he was known for anything else.
“I’m here to take Cordy home, and that’s it,” Chance said firmly. “I’m waiting for her since I don’t want her to drive herself anymore.” He swallowed hard, still pricked by the look in Pierce’s gaze. “And I’m being careful with her. As careful as I know how to be.”
Chance wasn’t sure that was enough. But he was doing the best he could.
Pierce’s shoulders sagged with relief, making him look even younger. “We’ll all be glad to hear that. She’s got a lot of people worried about her.”
“She’s got a full house of admirers here, doesn’t she?”
Pierce grinned. “Yes, sir, she does. I hope she’ll stay in Star Crossed Springs, but that’s not really her thing.”
Chance hoped the same. “We’ll see. People change when they have kids.”
“I wouldn’t know.” Pierce gave an artless wave. “Okay, I guess it’s all right she’s staying with you. I gotta go finish my shift.” He was gone in a flash.
Well. Chance resettled himself in his chair. That had been… something. He guessed he’d passed the kid’s test.
Cordy came up then, looking like he was the best thing she’d seen all day. A man could get real used to that, not that Chance was going to.
“Was that Pierce walking away?” she asked.
Chance nodded.
She frowned. “He’s not supposed to be working tonight. It’s pretty late.”
“He said someone called in sick. As for it being late,thatfamily won’t care much.”
His tone caught her attention. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Pierce is a Buckland.”
Bucklands didn’t care about things like bedtimes or being normal or other people’s opinions of them.
“No, he’s not,” Cordy said confidently. “He’s a Bautista. It’s right there in his last name.”
