2
Jules
Anight out on the town is exactly what me and my friends need.Cut up and let loose.It’s been tense again the last couple weeks, knowing that Kenny’s expansion, while it should be cause for celebration, is bringing danger back to town.
The minute we walk through the door of Wild Deuces, we spot the guys sitting at a table near the back.Lettie gives us a big smile from behind the bar as we pass her and head for the guys.
The minute we reach them, Lacy drapes an arm playfully around Garrett’s neck, letting her long red hair fall over his shoulder.Cole grins as we all surround the men.He starts introducing us to the dirty-blond-haired guy with smoldering green eyes sitting next to him, the incredibly handsome as sin one who locks eyes with me.
Krissy goes to the other side of the table to stand next to Cole.He takes her hand and puts a protective arm around her.“This is my wife, Krissy,”—he gestures to Lacy— “and this is Garrett’s wife Lacy, and PJ and Mason have been together since last year.”
The stranger is still looking straight at me and my cheeks heat.I clear my throat, not usually flustered in the slightest.“I’m Jules and this is Patti, we’ve all been friends for, well, forever.”
His lips turn up in a half smile.“I’m Beckett.Friends with Cole, and in town working with the guys for a while.”I don’t miss his eyes flitting over my tucked in tee but still, even though tonight is supposed to be fun, if they called in more of their kind, there’s reason for worry.Trouble is brewing in Deadwood again, I just know it.
My chest tightens with the same angst that hits me every time I think about those no-good men coming back to this historic and peaceful town.“You’re here to help with the trouble?The Eldridge crew?”
Beckett picks up the glass of amber colored beer in front of him.“Hopefully there is none, but if it comes knocking, I’ll be here.”
Those pipes he has for arms look like he could deal with a whole hell of a lot of trouble too.And damn that gravelly voice and those deep green eyes all to hell.Now I can’t concentrate on anything else.Not even those bad guys who ten seconds ago I couldn’t get out of my mind.
And that smirk of his does not help, not one little bit, at all.
I clear my throat, trying to come up with something witty to say.I am so not good at small talk.I gesture to the guys around the table.“This team right here, they’ve kept this town safe for the last few years.I seriously don’t know what would have come of the little shops along this strip if they weren’t here.Right Kenny?”
Kenny holds up his beer, his eyes sparkling with amusement, barely a help with the conversation at all.“Without a doubt.”
Krissy gives me a Cheshire smile, takes pity on me and turns to Cole.“The ladies and I thought since you guys weren’t going to be home early that we’d come out for a little fun while you men talk about everything going on.”
She turns to Beckett.“It’s so nice to meet you finally.Cole has told me so much about you.Our kids are with the babysitter, so if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to have a little fun.”She kisses her husband soundly on the lips.“We’re going to be at the bar harassing Lettie.Don’t get home too late.”
Lacy smooches Garrett’s face and he grins.PJ just gives Mason a wink.She whispers to me as we walk toward the bar.“Beckett didn’t take his eyes off you the entire time we were at the table.You better watch out for that one, Jules.”
“Yeah, that one, he’s pure trouble, with a capital T,” I tell her, not mentioning that I can feel the heat of that stare penetrating right through to my skin every step that I take.
Lacy, Krissy and Patti slide into the high stools at the bar with me and PJ joins Lettie on the other side, helping her mix up our faves.I try to calm the racing anxiety from thinking about what it means if the guys are pulling in other bodyguards to help them watch over this town.My mind wanders, but the laughter of the ladies pulls me back to the moment at hand.
I watch as PJ and Lettie work together.PJ salts the rim of my big margarita glass, just like she does most Saturday nights.“Next week I’ll help you out behind the bar.It’s going to be packed.I hear people from the next county over are heading into town.The hotel is sold out for the weekend and the expanded rooms aren’t even open yet.”
The other ladies talk softly, and with the low roar of the crowd behind us, I don’t catch it all, but all I have to hear is the name Eldridge Jr., and my skin begins to crawl.
No amount of breathing exercises or trying to think about something else is going to calm the nerves that name causes.These ladies don’t have to tell me a thing.Trouble is coming back to Deadwood.The kind that Jake Eldridge Sr.brings when he wants something that doesn’t belong to him.Land, property, gambling, and liquor licenses that are not his to take.Him, his son and their cronies are all too happy to take anything they can get their dirty hands on.
PJ slides back onto the stool next to mine and the touch of her hand on my arm pulls my gaze to her, but my wandering mind has no clue what she just said.I don’t need to tell PJ that though.My best friend in the world knows me far better than I know myself sometimes.
Her eyes fill with concern.“You’ve been off since we found out about the expansion for Wild Deuces, worse still since the scheduling of the grand opening.Nothing like last year is going to happen again, okay?”Her expressive eyes meet mine.“I promise.”
I take a long deep drink of the refreshing liquid, hoping the top shelf tequila hits my veins and gives me a little of that liquid courage people are always talking about.I turn to her.“You don’t know that.And I know you went through a lot too, but getting kidnapped, it didn’t really happen to you.It’s hard to get that helpless feeling to go away.”
The look on her face almost immediately fills me with remorse.“I’m so sorry, PJ.I know you’re just trying to help, and I’m trying just as hard not to need it, you know?Nothing too bad happened, but that sense of helplessness, like it happened once, it could happen again, and this time something bad could really, really happen.You know, those thoughts, they just mess with your head.I didn’t mean to be such a jerk.”
PJ puts an arm around me and pulls me to her.“We won’t let it.We’ve all got your back, and you’ve got ours.All of us, besties forever.Besides, look at those guys over there, and the army of your tough-ass lady friends here.You and I both know the guys can kick some ass and are putting a plan together as we speak.”
That makes me smile and even feel a little bit better.Krissy shuffles on her stool and leans her head around PJ.“I don’t mean to butt in, but these guys are not going to let anything happen.This time, they know what we’re up against in terms of Eldridge Jr.and his dad, and the lengths they will go to in order to get what they want.”
She believes it, I know she does, but something deep down tells me that the Eldridge crew isn’t going to back down that easy.“Yeah, you seem pretty sure.”
Krissy takes another drink.“Cole is sure they’re going to try something and since they didn’t get what they wanted last time, they’ll probably try harder in all honesty.But these guys know it.That’s the advantage.Beckett has some extremely valuable special ops training.He and the guys can take care of any situation that arises.We have some highly skilled alpha bodyguards at our service,” she brags, giving me a wink.
