Beckett is in the living room when I come out.He gives me an appreciative glance as his eyes scan down the length of my tucked in tee and well-fitting blue jeans.“It’s a good thing my job is keeping an eye on you tonight.”
I grin.“Funny.”I glance at the clock on the wall.“We really should get going.I’d like to help Lettie arrange all the new glassware Kenny had brought in for the occasion.PJ usually doesn’t get done with the horses until late and then comes in to help after that.”
Beckett’s eyebrows raise.“What does she do with horses?”
I grab my purse as we head to the door.“She works for Cole.I didn’t realize you didn’t know.She loves animals and they have a pretty large and growing horse farm.She used to work at Kenny’s until she moved over to the ranch.Now, she just works on Saturdays to give Lettie a hand.PJ is a fantastic bartender.She can make drinks I’ve never even heard of but her real passion is horses.”
Beckett places his shoulder around me as we head for the truck and opens the passenger side door before helping me up.“Can’t change your mind about tonight, huh?”
I smile.“Nope, but you can keep your eyes on my ass all night long.I won’t be offended at all.”
He grins before shutting my door, walking around and pulling himself into the driver’s seat.“I hope for Kenny’s sake this night goes well, and we’ve covered all the access points to the event.I’d hate for Kenny’s grand opening to be trashed just because we missed something.”
“Or for someone to be killed?”I ask, buckling my seat belt as he backs up the drive.
“I didn’t say that.”
“I know, it’s just that it’s happened before, and Kenny almost died.That’s why the Larussio family hired Cole to stay out here in Deadwood.I just don’t want to see something like that happen again.You know?”
“We’ll do our best to make sure nothing happens to your friends, Jules.I promise you that.”
I turn to him.“Just make sure you protect yourself, please?It’s taken me a very long time to trust someone enough to love them.I don’t want you to go and get yourself killed now that I’ve decided you’re the one.”
He stops the vehicle before turning out onto the street and kisses my lips.“Nothing’s going to happen to me.I can’t tell you how many battles I’ve been in, in the fields and on the streets.Different locations but not so different when it comes right down to it.”
Beckett heads down Main Street toward the grand opening and everything is lit up and blinking.The new vertical Wild Deuces sign that can be seen from a long way back is more than impressive.
“Hang tight, Jules,” Beckett yells, pressing his foot to the pedal on the floor and swerving out of the way as an SUV almost rams us from behind.“Where the fuck did you come from?”Beckett yells.“Hold tight and keep yourself braced,” Beckett instructs as another SUV comes barreling down the road right toward us.
Beckett veers off the road and swerves into the bike lane as the SUV skids and then screeches to a halt right in front of the club.Men jump out with large guns, but that’s all I can see before Beckett shoves my head between my knees.“Stay there, do not move.”
I can’t help but peek though.He grabs the gun from his waistband, slowly opening the door.“Do exactly what I say and do not move.Not even if you hear shots.”
I hold my knees tight to stop the trembling but soon my jeans are soaked from the tears running uncontrollably down my face.Please Lord, let him be okay.Let this be over with fast but still, shot after shot rings out, shattering glass and screams fill the air of the street, until finally the only thing I hear is the unnerving quiet of an unknown fear.
My body is shaking so hard but there’s no way I’m staying here trembling like a coward when Beckett and my friends could be out there hurt.I open the passenger door as quietly as I can, stepping down from the running boards trying not to make a noise or move that will draw attention to myself.
I’ve barely made it around the back of the truck when a solid band of arms wraps around me from behind, closing off my airway with a terrible squeeze.“Now we’ll see if Lacy is a good friend or not, won’t we?Will she trade herself for you?I guess we’ll soon find out,” the man growls.
My breathing is erratic, and I know it has to be slowed.My mind drifts to my self-defense classes without even realizing it.And when I’ve finally got my breathing patterns under control, my right knee comes up, and I drive the heel of my foot backward, right into the bastard’s groin.
He yells, letting loose of my neck for just a brief moment, but it’s long enough to get an elbow into his face, and one strong kick to his gut.The momentum pushes him back, just long enough for me to run.My speed is my friend, but I listen closely for sounds behind me.I round the corner and only then peek back to see how far behind the guy is.But Beckett has a gun pointed at my assailant’s head.
I can’t hear what they say, but the man drops to his knees, and a few minutes later Sheriff Cates screeches onto the scene with lights blazing.I walk toward him and Beckett and look my assailant in the face.I’ve seen that face before, but I don’t remember where.Some time ago, as though he has been following me for a while.
“Where’s Lacy?”I ask Beckett, scared to death that they may have taken my friend.
“She’s safe and with Garrett.We had the back completely sealed off and our snipers saw these guys coming but we were in their line of fire.”
Sheriff Cates looks from Beckett to me and to the perp on the ground.“Someone want to fill me in?”
Beckett shakes his head.“This man attacked Jules.He was sent by the Eldridge crew.You’ll have to ask them why.Jules protected herself and I kept him at gunpoint until you arrived.I don’t know anything else,” Beckett tells him.
Sheriff Cates nods, taking notes and talking into his walkie talkie, issuing orders to his deputies to come and help him clean up the mess.“It seems like every time one of you city boys comes to town we have a mess on our hands.
“I’m getting mighty tired of it, myself, but Kenny says if it weren’t for you boys, we’d have a whole heap of trouble from the Chicago Crime Family, and they’re well known around these parts.Let’s do whatever we have to do in order to keep them at bay,” he remarks, pushing the assailant into the back seat of his car.
Beckett looks at me.“You and I are going to have a little conversation about what it means when I say stay in the truck, no matter what.”
