Bad to worse was right.
Chapter Three
Lexie got in her car and started driving.As much as she wanted to floor the accelerator, she couldn’t let herself.The last thing she needed right now was to run over someone.Besides, this was something she could control.She could tell her car how fast to go, when to turn and where to stop.She wouldn’t let it go topsy-turvy or upside down.
Like her morning had just gone.
Her fingers began to cramp around the steering wheel.Flexing them, she looked both ways before exiting the parking ramp.She felt like she’d been sandblasted, numb to her surroundings yet overly raw at the same time.The sun was too bright as it came through the windshield, yet the air blowing from the vents didn’t seem to touch her skin.
A red light told her to brake.Why not?She was in no hurry.Like she’d told Rowe, she didn’t know where she was going or what she was going to do.Yet when her car pointed towards the freeway, she knew that had been a bald-faced lie.
She had to see it.
She had to see that billboard for herself, live and uncensored.Up close, it couldn’t look that much like her.The newspaper print had given an optical illusion.She was not displayed larger than life looking like that.
Fortunately, morning rush hour was over and downtown traffic was light.She took the nearest on-ramp to the freeway.Cobalt City was a town of halves.Developed around the Cobalt River, the waterway served as both a physical and socioeconomic divide.The east side held the official downtown area, as well as the arts district and, farther out, the upper-class suburbs.The west side was the home of the blue-collar.The city’s main river port was accessible from the west bank, and industrial companies filled the pocket where the river twisted back upon itself.Truth was, the best pizza and blues bands could be found on the west side too.
There wasn’t much question where the billboard would be.It would be along the freeway heading out of downtown, going across the river.She knew, because that was where she would have put it.Merging with the traffic, she stayed in the right lane.The real question was whether it had been placed nearer to downtown or closer to the bar itself?
She didn’t care.She’d find it.
She put the car on cruise control as she scoured the roadway advertising.Reaching into her storage compartment, she found her sunglasses.The moment she slipped them on, a twinge of hurt slid through all that numbness.What was she doing, driving down the highway on a weekday morning, searching for a smutty picture board?Seriously.How had everything gone so out of whack?What had she done to deserve this?And when had Cameron Rowe appointed himself her defender?None of it made sense.
Yet one thing was clear.
The billboard was of her.
She was on top of it before she knew it.Jamming on the brakes, she pulled over to the shoulder and simply stared.Cars whizzed by in the so-called slow lane only feet from her, but her attention on the gigantic billboard was unwavering.
It wasuncanny.Perching her sunglasses atop her head, she let in all the bright, glaring details.Not one was missed.The tiny birthmark on her right shoulder was there, although magnified a thousand times over.The woman’s dark hair had the same unusual auburn highlights as hers, and the face was a dead ringer.Lexie concentrated hard on the eyes.They made her uncomfortable—more than she’d like to admit—but what she saw was something she sometimes lacked.Confidence.
Did sexy equal edgy?Was that what Rowe thought she didn’t have?
Flustered, she looked elsewhere—but the only other place to look was lower.She blushed as she evaluated the model’s curves.She worked out religiously, but modesty would never allow her to wear something so revealing.Something that… Oh God.Heat flashed through her, and she leaned forward, squinting hard.
Was that a nipple?
She clapped her hand over her mouth.She got the controversy now.It was impossible to tell.The bustier was cherry red.It could be a frill of the lace…or maybe it wasn’t.One thing was for certain, it was a miracle that the illusion hadn’t caused a high-speed pileup.Going by the challenge in the woman’s eyes, she knew exactly what she was or wasn’t showing off.Lexie would never be capable of pulling off such a devilish smirk.
But she was feeling pretty evil right now.
Anger bubbled up inside her, overriding the hurt and confusion.This was slanderous…libelous…whichever applied.Either way, her reputation was being dragged through the mud.She wanted some answers and she wanted them now.
Reaching over to her GPS, she punched in The Ruckus with a hand that was rock steady.When the address popped up on the screen, she nodded grimly.Nice location, right on the water in the heart of brawler territory.
The Acura’s tires squealed as she pulled back into traffic.Someone at the bar should be able to tell her how this had all come to be.That billboard hadn’t gotten up there by itself.Someone had designed the ad, someone had worked on the graphics and somebody had paid for it.
She wondered which Underhill’s name was beside the charge.
Gritting her teeth, she headed across the Cobalt.Following the GPS’s instructions, she took the first off-ramp.Still, she cursed under her breath when a red light stopped her at the intersection.Another turn back towards the water slowed her down even further, and the road began twisting as it followed the natural course of the river.A few blocks later, she finally saw the neon sign for which she was searching.
The Ruckus.Even dimmed for the day, it was impossible to miss.She pulled over to the curb to park.At this hour, it wasn’t difficult to find a spot, but the spaces closest to the bar’s entrance were too small.She chose one farther down the street and looked at the tightly spaced, parallel white lines as she got out of the car.
Her appearance was being used to push a biker bar.Great.Just perfect for the family-values crowd.
She slammed the car door, and her heels clipped determinedly as she strode to the bar’s front door.The neighborhood was known for being rough but, in her mood, she was spoiling for a fight.
She yanked on the front door, expecting it to be locked.She was surprised when it opened.Stepping inside, she found it too dark to see.She took off her sunglasses but, even then, it was a moment before her eyes could adjust to the dim lighting.The air inside the bar was cool, a welcome relief.Too bad the temperature was about to rise significantly for someone.
