Loose Ends (Magnolia Series Book 1) (18 page)

“I was beginning to think you forgot you’re on a job,” the gruff voice answered on the other end.

“Nah, I just can’t stand talking to you.” Luke wasn’t in the mood for this guy’s bullshit today.

“Watch it, buddy. I’m the one making sure you get your money when this is all over.”

“Speaking of which, when
will
this all be over? You’ve had me babysitting for quite some time.” Luke was getting restless.

“Well, there have been some interesting developments. Seems you told us a big one when you said the bitch was in Phoenix.” The other man began to hack. Luke hoped he had the black lung from smoking, served him right.

“How ya figure she’s
not
in Phoenix?” He wanted answers.

“Sent some boys down there to scope things out. They’ve spent the past week scouring the city and the suburbs.
Nothing
. So either you’re fucking with me, or my boys need to find their way to the bottom of Lake Michigan.”

Shit. “Yeah, I lied. I wanted to see if you were serious.” He kept his tone steady while he talked.

“Then how’s about you tell me the truth.”

Think, Luke, think. “Savannah, Georgia.” He threw out the city on the fly. It was seven and a half hours from Biloxi which would give him plenty of time to get things in order if need be.

“Yeah, I didn’t much peg the little bitch for the dry heat of Arizona anyway. Savannah sounds about right.”

“Now what?” Luke asked.

“Now you do what you’re doing and wait for my call.”

“That’s not good enough.” More information was what Luke needed. “How about you tell me why you’re keeping her alive? Maybe I can help you figure out how to find what you’re looking for,” he offered.

The other man laughed and began to cough. Luke pulled the phone away from his ear until the man was done. “Just keep an eye on her. Oh, and one more thing…”

“Yeah?”

“If you even think about sticking your dick in that hot piece of ass, I’ll make sure you choke on the damn thing as you’re sinking to the bottom of Lake Michigan,” the other guy warned and then hung up.

Well, Luke had fucked up on
that
front already.

Wasn’t much he could do about it now. He stashed the phone back in its spot and grabbed the keys out of the ignition. He’d already been out here for fifteen minutes and he didn’t want Ava getting suspicious. Time to do some more domestic shit—as Cole liked to call it.

***

“I know it sounds crazy but the guy gives me the creeps,” Ava said to Brandi on the phone while reading the back of a Pop Tart box. Why she was reading it, she didn’t know. It wasn’t like she’d paid much attention to nutritional facts in the past. But for some reason it was captivating today. 

“I’ll see what I can find,” Brandi promised. “What time is dinner tonight?” Ava could hear her friend clicking around on the keys of her computer already.

“Probably around six. You can bring a dessert if you want to.”

“You know I don’t bake. I do good to boil water.”

“Then just pick something up on your way to Luke’s house.”

“Fine. But only because I love you.” Brandi chuckled.

Just then Ava saw Luke out of the corner of her eye.

“Gotta go. Luke’s here now.”

“Alright, see you later.”

She hung up the phone just as Luke approached the shopping cart. He looked in at the still empty buggy and gave her a curious expression. “Are we having air for dinner?” 

“I didn’t know what you like to eat.” She shrugged. Hell, she’d let him fuck her to oblivion and she had no clue what his favorite food was. How pathetic.

“I’m a man, I like meat.”

Ava’s cheeks warmed at the thought of what kind of meat he really liked. “Okay, to the meat section it is.” She whipped the cart around, nearly smacking Luke in the family jewels as she spun it.

“Damn, watch out. I’d like to keep that intact if at all possible.”

She smiled and walked past him saying, “I kind of like it in one piece too.” There was that brazen personality shining through once more.

“And they say men are the ones who think about sex every thirty seconds.”

Ava stood before the case filled with all varieties of red meat known to mankind. She had no clue what to pick—luckily Luke was right there to assist. “How do you know which ones to choose?” She bent over and picked up two different types of steaks. They sat safely in their Styrofoam trays, covered with clear shrink wrap. “Do you like the bone in? Or bone out?”

Luke straightened and pinned her with what could only be described as a leer. “I prefer the
bone
in.” His gaze raked down her body.

Ava tossed the packages of meat back in the cooler case and let out a sigh. “How can a person make grocery shopping filthy?”

“Hey, we haven’t even visited the produce section. I bet there’s some fun to be had there.” Luke began laughing so hard he was gasping for air.

“You’re like a teenage boy trapped in a man’s body.”

Luke didn’t reply he only stood there snickering. Ava found his inner boyish charm quite fascinating. It didn’t coincide with his normal tough guy demeanor. But either way, she liked it. Maybe a little too much.

They walked around the store laughing and earning dirty looks from other shoppers as they made jokes and played with the cucumbers and cantaloupes in the produce section. Luke wanted to know what he’d look like with a pair of boobs so he shoved two melons under his shirt and presented himself to Ava.

“Oh. My. God. Now I
know
you’ve lost your mind,” she laughed.

It was refreshing to play around and joke with this part-Neanderthal. Of course she enjoyed the caveman in him as well—especially in the bedroom.

“Do we have everything we need?” Luke asked as Ava rolled the metal buggy to the front of the store.

“I think so.” She did an inventory of the items in the cart and snapped her head up. “Wait. I forgot sour cream for the baked potatoes.”

“I’m on it,” Luke said and hurried to the back of the store.

Ava stood there waiting for him and noticed something rather odd. A man stood at the front just beyond the five checkout lanes, leaning against the scratch-off lottery ticket machine. He kept a close eye on her but she did her best to pretend she wasn’t paying attention. He was clearly studying her though; she could feel his gaze piercing her as she stood there with her hands grasping the red handle of the cart in a death grip. His hair was buzzed short and she could make out a jagged white scar above his left ear. His eyes were wide set with eyebrows that seemed to grow together in the center. His eye color was unclear though since she was still a good ways away. Nothing about his clothing screamed, ‘
I’m not from around here’
as he stood there taking her in. In fact, he looked like a local with his cut off t-shirt and jean shorts. Although she did notice some sort of inked creation on his left forearm.

“Hope this’s what you needed.” Luke came back just as she was feeling extremely uncomfortable standing there.

She looked at the white container in his hand and said, “Yes, that’s perfect.” When she glanced back to the spot where the creepy man had been standing, he was gone. “Let’s go.” Her tone came out clipped.

“Everything okay?” Luke touched her arm and she jumped. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“I’m fine. I just want to get this stuff and go.” She rolled the cart through one of the checkout lanes and began to throw the items on the black conveyer belt. When everything was rung up, she paid with Luke’s cash and hurried from the store. Luke was struggling to keep up as she made it to his truck and began to toss the bags of food over the side of the bed.

“I wish I knew what was wrong. Maybe I could fix it.” He picked up a couple bags and helped her load them.

“Sorry, I’m just tired. I guess my crankiness has reared its ugly head.”

Luke didn’t respond as he finished the task and got in to start the truck. She startled as it roared to life but quickly put everything out of her mind. So what odd things were happening? Maybe she’d just gotten way too comfortable and paying the price now by being paranoid. It figured things would turn out like this. Maybe the man in the store was just a normally creepy guy. Maybe he didn’t recognize her like she’d though he had. But she didn’t want to stick around to find out. Who knew if he was still around watching her? All she wanted was to go back to Luke’s place and talk to Brandi later that evening.

Surely her friend would have some answers, right?

Chapte
r
Fiftee
n

“Are you serious?
You didn’t find
anything
on him?” Ava stood at the kitchen counter slathering potatoes with butter and rolling them in sea salt.

Brandi wrapped the spuds in foil and laid them off to the side. “Nope. Not a thing.”

Luke and Cole were in the backyard firing up the grill so she knew it was safe to chat with her friend. “That doesn’t make sense. If he were a business owner, he’d have to have some sort of public records, right?”

“I don’t know, you tell me. You own a business and you don’t have records of your name.” Brandi pointed out.

Shit. The woman had a valid point. “It’s not the same.”

“Isn’t it? I really wish you’d confide in me a little more. I don’t know what’s going on and I want to. You moved here two years ago and yes, I’ve been your friend, but I need more, Ava.”

“Why is this such an issue now?” Ava brushed a stray hair from her forehead.

“Because you’re like the pot calling the kettle black right now. You want to dig into Cole’s life, but you refuse to divulge any info about you before you moved here.”

“I went through some really bad shit. I’ve told you this already, Brandi.”

“Yes, you have. You know what, forget I said anything. You must have reasons for keeping secrets and I should be a good friend by leaving you alone about it all.” Thank God she was backing off.

“Thank you.” Ava handed Brandi the last potato and washed her hands in the sink nearby.

They’d fallen into companionable silence when Brandi decided to speak up again. “So, Cole is a sexy motherfucker.”

Ava’s mouth gaped. “You cannot be serious.”

“Of course I am. Look at him.” Brandi pointed out the window at the man in question.

Ava peered out and glanced at Cole. She felt wrong for even looking at another man, but she and Luke weren’t exactly an item. So she guessed it would be alright to take a gander. Look, don’t touch. Not like she’d touch Cole with a ten-foot pole anyway. But he was good-looking in a Backstreet Boy kind of way. He wasn’t built like Luke though; his muscles weren’t as defined, he wasn’t near as tall as Luke and he gave off more of a preppy vibe than anything. His short black hair looked like it’d been trimmed not too long ago and the guy definitely used some sort of moisturizer on his skin.

“I think you should hook me up. Let me get a little action on the baloney pony for a bit,” Brandi said as she ogled Cole over Ava’s shoulder.

“I’m not hooking you up with anyone. If you want to ride that, be my guest. But you’ll have to go out there and proposition him.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Brandi dusted off her hands and was out the door. Ava witnessed her best friend sidle right up to Cole, whisper something in his ear and soon he was taking her hand and leading her back into the house.

“We’re going to go have a talk.” Brandi came in with a huge smile on her face. Cole was right behind her and had an equally devious grin.

“Need any help in here?” Luke came through the door a few seconds later.

“Nope, I have it all covered.” She placed a baking sheet with the foil wrapped potatoes in the oven. “Seems your cousin and my best friend are getting to know each other.”

“She literally walked out there and asked him if he wanted to fuck,” Luke tittered.

“Good Lord. She lacks this thing called tact.”

It wasn’t long and they could both hear the tell-tale signs of Brandi and Cole getting it on in his room. The headboard of the bed was banging against the wall, Cole was grunting and groaning and Brandi’s vocalizations made it sound like a porn movie was being filmed on-location.

“I can’t listen to this. I’m going outside.” She made her way through the door with Luke right behind her.

“I wonder if that’s what we sound like.” Luke began laughing.

“That’s not even funny,” she replied.

“Don’t you ever wonder about it, though? If you sound like a rabid animal in the heat of the moment?”

“I haven’t given it much thought until now.” She turned and cocked an eyebrow at him. “You’d know better than me.
Do
I
sound like a wild animal?”

Luke came closer and wrapped his arms around her. The faint scent of barbecue grill smoke and something that was uniquely him enveloped her senses. “Maybe a little.” Ava tried to squirm away. “But there’s this little sound you make, right before you come,” he whispered close to her ear, “It makes my head spin and my cock hard enough to jackhammer concrete.” His tongue darted out and licked the shell of her ear.

“You’d better stop talking like that,” Ava warned.

“Why’s that?”

She wriggled free of his grasp and pointed to the grill only a few feet away. “Because as much as I’d like to let you hear that sound again, I think dinner is burning.”

Ava watched him whip around and stare at the plumes of white smoke escaping the closed grill. “Shit!” He ran to the contraption, threw back the lid and grabbed the oversized meat tongs. He began flipping the steaks. “Oh, good. We don’t have to eat like gods tonight.” He sounded relieved.

“Eat like gods?” she questioned with extreme confusion on her face.

“Yeah. Burnt offerings.” Damn. That incredible smile of his had her wanting to bow at his feet and worship
him
like a god. When he finished with the meat he closed the lid and looked at her with those stunning blue eyes. Somehow the sunlight made them seem like he had stuck sapphires in his eye sockets.

“What’s wrong?” Ava wasn’t sure why he was looking at her so strangely.

“Nothing. I just want to stare at you all damn day.”

“You’d get bored after a while.” Why was she becoming self-conscious all of a sudden? Maybe it was the way he didn’t just see her outer appearance; he saw deeper. Like he was mapping out the nooks and crannies of her soul.

“Trust me, I could never find myself becoming bored with you.”

Ava shook her head. “You shouldn’t say things like that.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t deserve to have things like that said about me, Luke.”

His expression changed from playful to downright stern in a matter of nanoseconds as he took long strides to get to her. “No. Don’t you ever think you’re not deserving of something. I don’t want to hear that come out of your mouth again. When I tell you that you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, you’d better damn well believe it.”

Ava wasn’t sure what to say to that. She stood there in awe that someone like Luke would think that way about her. No, she didn’t think she was anything special, but the way he spoke to her, looked at her and touched her made her feel like she was this mythical desired creature. She half wondered if he knew she felt the same way about him. “How did I get so lucky in finding you?” she asked.

Luke turned away. “Let’s not talk about it.” Something in his mood changed, causing her to wonder what she’d said wrong.

She stepped close behind him and wrapped her arms around his midsection, feeling his muscles bunch as she rubbed his stomach over the top of his shirt. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Ava, I don’t want you to think this can go anywhere past where it is now.” He brushed his hands across hers.

His words stung a bit. Sure, she’d been fully aware of their intentions when this all began, but now…she wanted more. “I feel like there’s something here. Something more than what we have. Don’t you feel it?” She wasn’t letting this go.

Luke spun in her arms and cupped her face in his hands. “Yeah, I do. But that doesn’t mean we need to act on it. Can’t we just be content with this?” He was pleading with her. Behind those blue eyes he held himself back. For what reason, she didn’t know. But she wanted to. She was willing to stick it out to see if maybe he’d change his mind eventually.

“I guess so.” She wasn’t happy with her own answer. Squaring her chin and giving him an ultimatum was on the tip of her tongue but the chances of ruining what they had now were too great. If this was the only way to have him, then yeah, she’d hang on.

***

Damn it. Why did he have to go and jump into this thing with both feet? Luke knew it would backfire on him eventually and right now, it was all imploding in on itself. In his arms was this magnificent woman who he’d give his left nut to be with. But there wasn’t a future for them. In fact, Ava didn’t have a future and it was his fucking fault. He was using her. Using her for his own gain. When she found out who he really was, she’d hate him and he couldn’t blame her. Hell, he hated himself at the moment. If he didn’t have a job to do, he’d pack his shit and get the hell out of Dodge in the next five minutes. But even the thought of driving away from her sparked a pang of emptiness in his chest. No, he wasn’t leaving; he couldn’t. He’d stay here and finish this and then he’d be gone.

“Something smells good out here.” Brandi and Cole sauntered out of the house with shit-eating-grins on their
faces.

“It’s about time you two decided to join us,” Luke was glad for the reprieve from talking about feelings and shit with Ava.

“We were discussing the finer points of Biloxi living,” Brandi giggled.

“And by
finer points
I assume each other’s sex organs?” Luke hooted. He felt Ava snickering while he held her in his arms.

“Yeah, yeah.” Cole rolled his eyes and smoothed his hair down.

Luke wasn’t thrilled that Cole had fucked Ava’s best friend. But the man was a grown up and could make his own bad decisions. Luke wasn’t there to play babysitter with the other guy. As long as Cole did his job, Luke would keep his boot out of his ass.

Ava broke free of his grasp and walked over to her friend. “Let’s go check the food inside while they finish out here.”

“The meat should be done in about five minutes,” Luke pointed out.

“Okay.” She gave him a sweet smile—one of the ones that cleared the blackness away from his heart just a little more each time he saw it.

Cole didn’t speak until both women were behind closed doors inside the house. “So…” he shuffled his feet and had a guilty look like a kid who’d just gotten caught sneaking Oreos.

“Have fun?” Luke began tending to the food on the grill once more.

“Brandi’s something else.”

“Just remember the shit you told me. I’m throwing it right back at you,” Luke warned.

“Nah, man. It was just some fun. Everyone needs to blow off some steam every now and again. Isn’t that what you’re doing?”

Luke didn’t like the thought of Cole saying Ava was just a way to blow off steam. His caveman instincts took over and he nearly growled at the other man. “No, it’s not.”

“Come on. There are two fine pieces of ass in that kitchen. Who wouldn’t want to bend them over and make them scream?”

“I’d watch it if I were you.” Luke took a deep breath and counted to ten. He hoped like hell Cole would shut his mouth.

“We could swap,” Cole chuckled.

That was it. Luke had no tolerance for the other man’s crass comments about Ava. Without thinking of the consequences he spun around and grabbed Cole by the shirt. “Look, motherfucker, I told you to shut your goddamned mouth!” His face was only inches from Cole’s as he shouted. “You don’t know how to follow directions do you?”

“What’s gotten into you?” The deep brown of the other man’s eyes seemed to be taken over by the black of his pupils. “Where’s the hard ass Luke Daughtry I used to know? Are you pussy-whipped already?”

“I told you to shut your trap.” Luke held tightly to Cole’s shirt.

“So you’re gonna let some little blonde bitch lead you around by the dick because she’s such a good lay?”

Before Luke thought twice he released Cole’s shirt, reared his arm back and cracked the other man in the jaw with his fist. Cole fell to the ground in a heap as he stood over him.

“What the hell is going on out here?” Ava came running from the back porch with a look of terror on her face. She immediately dropped to her knees and surveyed the damage to Cole’s face. “Luke, why did you hit him?”

Luke was too pissed to even talk at that point so he kept his mouth shut. But he saw something in her eyes that he hated himself for putting there. Fear. She was scared of him.