The Tangled Series Complete Digital Boxed Set (Bad Boy Rock Star, Millionaire, and MMA Fighter Bundle) (72 page)

Chapter Eighteen

When I finished putting my makeup on, I slipped on a pair of black pumps and a lightweight overcoat. Then I locked the house up and walked over to the garage where my Verano was parked. When I started the engine, I noticed I was getting low on fuel, so on the way to Dazzle, I stopped at a fuel station. I’d just started pumping gas when I noticed that a big, black truck had pulled up behind my car. Ignoring it, I continued filling my car with gasoline.

The person in the truck got out and I heard footsteps come up behind me. “Darlin’, I thought that was you,” said a gravelly voice.

I turned around to find myself looking up into the cold, flat eyes of the biker who’d been harassing me at Griffin’s. Breaker. I tried to remain calm.

“Sorry?” I said, pretending I didn’t know him. The guy was even scarier in the daylight, the scar on his face standing out like a warning sign. Something told me that he’d probably deserved it.

“You’re the hot little number from Griffin’s last night. You must remember me, darlin’.”

My heart was pounding as I pulled the nozzle out of the car and shoved it back into the machine. I’d barely filled my tank, but I wanted to leave as quickly as possible. Knowing that he’d gone to prison for rape was terrifying. Especially since he was obviously still interested in me. “Sorry. You must have me confused with someone else,” I answered, laughing nervously. “I get that all the time.”

He smirked. “I don’t think so.”

Ignoring him, I pulled out my receipt and tried getting into my car.

“You know, I’d never forget a face like yours,” he said, blocking my way.

“Excuse me. You’re in my way.”

His eyes went to my necklace. “Fuck me, is that a real sapphire?”

I put my hand over the stone. “No. Of course not. It’s costume jewelry. Now, if you’d please get out of my way, I really have to be somewhere.”

“Are you okay, honey?” asked a little old lady, pumping gas across from me.

“Mind your own business, grandma,” said Breaker, stepping out of my way.

The woman quickly turned away and continued pumping.

“Nosy old bitch,” he muttered and then turned back to me. “You meeting up with Raptor?”

I ignored him.

He chuckled. “You look like you’re going on a date. He’s not going to be happy knowing that you’re seeing someone on the side.”

I was about to tell him that I wasn’t seeing anyone, including Raptor, but caught myself. That would have been asking for more trouble. I forced a grin. “For your information, I’m going to work but I
will
be seeing him later.”

He grinned slyly. “Work, huh? Where you work, darlin’?”

I couldn’t help it. I was tired of his questions. “It’s none of your business,” I said, slamming the door shut. I quickly started the engine and locked all four doors. As I backed away, I noticed that he was laughing.

“Asshole,” I mumbled, turning the car around. I drove out of the parking lot and headed down the road, still shaken. The light ahead turned red and I slowed down to a stop. As I waited for it to change, someone revved their engine behind me. I looked into my rearview mirror and my blood ran cold. Breaker was behind me, in the truck, and only inches from my bumper.  

I swore under my breath, hoping that he wasn’t following me and just heading north. But, common sense told me that was not the case.

When the light finally changed, I began to drive forward, but didn’t head toward Dazzle, which was only a few blocks away. The last thing I needed was for him to learn where I worked. Instead, I continued forward, not exactly sure where I was headed. Frustratingly enough, he stayed behind me for the next five lights.

Shit, he must really be following me
, I thought, deciding to take a right at the next light. As I put my blinker on and changed lanes, I noticed he did the same. We both turned on the green arrow, and I looked back at him in my rearview mirror. I couldn’t see his face because the windows were tinted, but something told me he was enjoying this.  Tightening my hands on the wheel, I sped up and took the next exit, this time turning left. He quickly followed.

“Dammit,” I snapped, my heart racing. I reached into my purse, which was sitting next to me on the seat, and grabbed my cell phone. Trying not to get into an accident, I quickly dialed Trevor.

“Hey, Kitten,” he answered, a smile in his voice. “I didn’t expect to hear from you until later.”

“Breaker is following me,” I said quickly.

He swore. “Talk to me.”

I told him about seeing Breaker at the gas station and how he’d tried talking to me. “Now he’s on my tail.”

“I’m going to kill that fucking asshole myself. Swear to God,” he growled. “Okay. Where are you?

I gave him my approximate location. “Should I drive to the nearest police station?” I asked, still seeing Breaker’s truck in my mirror.

“He’ll just drive away if you do that.”

“Isn’t that the point?” I exclaimed loudly.

“I want to confront the fucker. Let him know that nobody follows my girl.”

I’m not your girl,
I thought, although I had to admit that part of me was giddy at the comment. “Seriously, I don’t want to be part of that. I just want him to go away and never see him again.”

“I know, but shitheads like Breaker
won’t
go away unless someone stands up to them. Look,” he said, “why don’t you head on over to Griffin’s? You’re only ten minutes away. I’m in the parking lot, now.
I’ll
make sure that pile of shit never bothers you again. You feel me?”

I was feeling more frustrated than anything as I stopped at another light. This time, however, Breaker got into the right turning lane. “Wait a second,” I said, looking over at his truck. “He’s turning away. Thank God.”

Breaker rolled down his window and the menacing smile on his face gave me the chills. He blew me a kiss and then drove away, his tires squealing as he whipped around the corner.

“Asshole,” I mumbled, sighing in relief.

“What’s going on?”

“He’s gone.”

“Good. Now, meet me at Griffin’s. I’ll take you to lunch.”

Yuck, like I’d ever eat there.

“I can’t. My mom’s expecting me at the store. I’m surprised she hasn’t called me yet, complaining.”

He was quiet for a while, obviously mulling things over. “Okay. You get your ass at work and don’t worry your pretty little head about this jerkoff.”

“Thanks,” I said. “He scared the crap out of me.”

“Don’t let him, Kitten. In fact, he won’t be bothering anyone soon.”

“Oh yeah? Why?”

“I can’t get into it. Just, go to work and I’ll see you later tonight.”

I bit my lower lip. “About that…”

“I’ve gotta go. There’s a call coming in. I might even meet you at Dazzle, later.” He chuckled. “Surprise your mother.”

“But –”

“Later, babe,” he said and then hung up.

Sighing, I tossed my phone onto the passenger seat and headed to the shop, checking my rearview mirror frequently. I couldn’t believe the last twenty-four hours, I’d had strange encounters with three very different guys. As far as I was concerned, every one of them was a threat. Even Trevor.

Chapter Nineteen

“This Raptor?” asked the voice on the other end.

“Yeah.”

“You’ve got a package for me?”

I glanced at my saddlebag. “I do.”

“Meet me at your house. In twenty minutes,” he said and then hung up.

He knew where I lived. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Yeah, we were brothers, but he was still The Judge and something told me that blood meant nothing to him, unless he was getting paid to spill it.

Sighing, I got on my bike and tied a red and white bandana around my head. Then I headed home.

***

“Oh good. You’re here,” said my mother, as I stepped into the busy shop. She was showing a young couple some diamond engagement rings. “I sent Gerald home already. Could you help Mrs. Jacobs clean her jewelry?” She nodded toward the back of the shop where and elderly woman was waiting. “Tim and I are both just too busy at the moment.”

I looked across the room at Tim, who many said looked like Zac Efron’s twin brother. He was surrounded by three teenaged girls who appeared to be interested in both the charm bracelets and the young guy behind the counter.

“Sure. No problem.”

“Hi, Adriana,” said Tim as I walked by him. He looked at me over his shoulder and gave me dimpled smile.

“Hi, Tim.”

“You look lovely today. Hey,” he squinted. “Is that a new necklace? It’s gorgeous.”

“It’s not new. By the way, you’re looking pretty swanky yourself. Tell whoever’s dressing you that they have amazing taste.”

He winked. “I certainly will.” As usual, he was dressed to the nines in a black tailored suit. His boyfriend, Juan, worked at Macy’s, and had excellent taste in fashion. From what I understood, he selected all of Tim’s clothes and wouldn’t let him step out of the house without approving his clothing choices.

I hung up my coat on the hook behind the counter, and began helping Mrs. Jacobs. When her jewelry was cleaned, she asked to look at some earrings that were in the case.

“These are so lovely,” she said, trying on a set of pearl ones. “I keep looking at them every time I visit your shop.” She sighed. “I should just get them.”

“I would. They’re beautiful, and they’re not lab-created,” I told her. “Hence the price. You’re going to pay for quality and Vanda goes to great lengths to make sure we sell the finest pearl earrings in Iowa.”

“Yes, I believe it. I do know that you get what you pay for, too. I’ve learned that over the years.”

I nodded.

“The price is reasonable. I keep waiting for them to go down, though.”

“We had a sale last week,” I whispered, leaning forward. “Twenty percent off. If you want the earrings, I’ll do what I can to get you that same deal. I know the owner and I’m pretty sure she’ll okay it.”

She smiled. “If you can do that, I’ll take them, for sure.”

I winked. “Let’s wrap them up so you can take them home.”

“Thank you, Adriana. I’m going to tell your boss that you’re a ‘keeper’.”

I laughed. “Thank you. Hopefully, she’ll believe you.”

“You two are having fun over here,” said Vanda, walking over to us after ringing up her couple. “I like that.”

“A happy customer is a return customer,” said Mrs. Jacobs. “And you know, I keep coming back.”

“And we are thrilled that you do,” she replied and then looked down at the earrings. “Ah, you’re getting them. The ones you’ve been eyeing for weeks. I just marked them down, too. Perfect timing.”

My eyes widened. “You did?”

“Yes,” she replied. “I took twenty-percent off last night.”

“So, I’m getting forty-percent off of the original price?” raved Mrs. Jacobs, grinning. “My goodness. This is really my day!”

My mother’s eyebrows shot up and she looked at me.

I laughed nervously. “I promised her twenty-percent off the current price. Sorry, I didn’t know you’d already lowered it.”

I could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn’t too happy with me, but she faked it for Mrs. Jacobs. “It’s quite all right.” She winked at the older woman. “I guess this
is
your lucky day, isn’t it? Well, I don’t know who deserves it more than you. I really do appreciate all of the business you’ve given me, Mrs. Jacobs. All of us do.”

“Call me Mary.”

“Mary. Thank you, Mary,” she replied.

The phone in the store rang and Tim answered it.

“Adriana, it’s for you,” he said, putting the caller on hold.

“I’m with a customer,” I said. “Can you take a message?”

“It’s okay. I’ll ring her up,” said my mother. “Take your call.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Enjoy your earrings, Mary. They look lovely on your ears.”

She touched her ears. “Thank you, Adriana.”

Smiling, I walked over and grabbed the phone.

“Hello?”

The caller didn’t say anything.

“Hello? This is Adriana. Can I help you?”

I heard the distinct sound of a lighter being flicked. Then someone inhaled what I could only imagine to be a cigarette. Then they blew it out.

“Hello?”  I said, getting frustrated. “I’m going to hang up if you’ve got nothing to say to me.”

The sound of man’s deep laughter made my blood turn cold.

I gripped the phone tightly. “Who is this?”

The person hung up.

My hand was shaking when I placed the phone back on the receiver. I knew who it was. I could tell by his coarse, evil laughter.

Breaker.

“Who was that?” asked Tim, looking concerned.

I forced a smile. “Wrong number.”

“That’s strange because the man actually asked for you.”

“Huh,” I said, moving around the counter and toward the front of the shop.

“Where you going?” called my mom.

I didn’t reply. I walked to the front door and glanced outside, terrified of what I’d find.

“Is there something wrong?” asked Jim Evans, our security guard.

“I don’t know,” I said, looking around the parking lot. There were six cars, including mine, but no menacing black truck. I relaxed a little.

Jim stood up. “You’re worrying me, Adriana,” he said, looking out the window himself. “Is there something we should know?”

He was like a hawk. He noticed everything and trusted nobody, outside of my mother and me. He even had a hard time trusting Tim and Gerald. It made him an excellent security guard. “No,” I replied, turning to him. “Everything is fine. Really.”

At least I hoped.

Vanda approached us. “What’s wrong?” she whispered frantically. “Why didn’t you answer me?”

“I’m sorry and nothing is wrong, Mom.”

She didn’t look like she believed me. “Who was on the phone? Tim said you looked like you’d seen a ghost.”

I managed a smile. “Oh, well that was just a crank call. Some punk kid. Where is Mrs. Jacobs?” I asked, looking behind her.

“Bathroom. I think she’s used it more than me,” said Vanda, chuckling.

“That’s what happens when you get old,” said Jim, who was pushing fifty himself. “Leaky faucets and rusty pipes.”

“You’re not old,” replied Mom. “And I’m sure your pipes are working just fine.”

His face turned red and he smiled. “Easy for you to say. You look like Adriana’s sister, not mother.”

“Flattery will get you ten-percent over cost on something for your own mother,” she replied, grinning. “Come Mother’s Day.”

He laughed. “I’ll hold you to it.”

Vanda chuckled.

“I’m going into the back for a quick cup of coffee. Would either of you ladies like me to grab you any?” he asked.

“No,” I replied. “I’m fine.”

“No, thank you, Jim,” said Vanda. “I’ve had enough cups myself today.”

“Let me know if you change your mind,” he said, walking away.

Vanda watched him leave and then turned to me. “Oh,” she said, reaching over to my necklace. She lifted up the sapphire. “You wore your father’s necklace. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen it.”

I looked down. “I guess I couldn’t stop thinking about Dad this morning.”

Her eyes grew moist and she smiled. “He was such a good man.”

“He was. The best.”

She looked outside again and then back to my necklace. “I must admit, it makes me a little nervous – you wearing it out in the open. It’s very expensive and not exactly… subtle.”

“I know. I probably shouldn’t have,” I admitted. “It’s just… I wanted to feel close to him today.”

“I understand,” she replied, glancing down at her wedding band that she refused to remove, even though he’d been gone for the last seven years. “I wouldn’t dream of taking this off.”

“I’m sure if you did, though, Dad would be okay with it.”

Her eyes widened. “Why would I ever take it off?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know… I mean, you’re only forty-seven. You might fall in love again.”

“I’ve been in love. I don’t need to replace your father.”

“Don’t you get lonely?” I asked.

She patted me on the shoulder and turned to walk away. “I have you, Adriana. I’m never lonely.”

“I know, but –”

“Let it rest,” she interrupted. “We’ve been through this conversation before. I’m content with my life.”

I sighed. We
had
been through it before and she was always so stubborn. I knew if she opened her eyes, she’d see that Jim had a thing for her. But, that was Vanda. She was so obstinate.

The phone rang again and I jumped. This time, fortunately, it was for Tim.