“What the fuck are you doing?” a man said from behind me. I hadn’t been paying close enough attention, my heart pounding in my ears the closer I was to her door.
“I fucked up, and my Old Lady won’t let me in.” The words tasted like sawdust. Women were too much trouble, and I never saw myself actually committing to one. He didn’t need to know the truth, and I didn’t give a fuck if he bought it. He looked me up and down, decided it wasn’t worth the fight, and continued past me until he reached the stairs.
Leaning against the door frame, I stayed in place until I couldn’t see his back anymore. I could have taken him if he had been a threat, but if he ever met Roxy, he’d instantly believe I was in the doghouse. Shaking my head, I pushed my shoulder against the door, creating a gap.
The trick was simple—wedge the credit card in between the door and the jamb along the curved edge of the bolt, pushing it back into the door to unlock. I’d done this a thousand times, but when I heard the lock pop, I couldn’t shove the door open.What the fuck?
The lock hadn’t clicked back into place, but when I tried again to press the door open, it wouldn’t move. These doors didn’t have chains on them, and that was when it hit me. She’d stuck the desk chair underneath the handle, like that would protect her.
Kicking the door repeatedly, I created enough forward pressure to force the chair to slide to the floor. The door opened completely, and Roxy was leaning against the wall near the bathroom, wearing only a towel. She’d heard the door, and when she’d actually seen it was me, she went silent. It made me angry to think someone had taught her to be invisible.
I let go, letting the door slam. The walls were thin, and the sound echoed around the room. I wasn’t a betting man, but even I’d play the odds nothing was sacred in this motel. My eyes never left her as I hauled the chair upright and dropped into it, planting myself between her and freedom. She wasn’t going anywhere, and while I searched for fear in her eyes, there was only bone-deep exhaustion. I wasn’t sure which was worse.
“If you want to go through my things, I don’t care. Just don’t touch my underwear. That’s gross.” She stood straight, heading toward a small suitcase lying on the floor before crouching down.
“Why don’t you just tell me your story? The longer you keep this to yourself, the more suspicious it becomes.” I’d sift through her things, but if she only had that little suitcase, there wouldn’t be much to find.
“You don’t see me asking for your story every two seconds.” She stood before turning towards the bed to drop some clothes. Roxy grabbed the shirt, flinging it over her head until it came down past her waist. She quickly dressed, pulling the towel away from her before heading back to the bathroom. “I don’t expect Aces to fix my car for free. Nothing is, but you couldn’t even leave a buck after all the bullshit. Figures, I got stiffed.”
“I actually gave Aces the money for your car.” I didn’t know why I was telling her this, when I didn’t honestly care what she thought. The brothers had wanted to punish her for the beer, but when Angelica told me what had happened, I collected the money. It had been too late to give it to her, so I’d made a deposit towards her car.
“If you each left a dollar or two, that’s not enough to pay for the repairs. You should have given it to me. I’m an adult, and I know how to balance my finances. Shocking!” She leaned against the wall again, staring straight at me.
“Why are you angry? You’re going to have to pay for your repairs, and all I did was make a deposit.”
“It wasn’t your decision. If you wanted to stiff me, fine. I can’t control what people think of my services. I’m an adult, and I can take care of myself.” She glared at me, crossing her arms over her chest.
I didn’t flinch, returning her gaze. “So, are you going to tell me your story?”
“There’s nothing interesting to tell. I’ll be gone in a few weeks, and you won’t even remember I was here.” She yawned, not covering the exasperation with me.
“Scorpion’s worried you’re bringing something into town that’s going to affect Angelica. She takes in strays, and it’s happened before. That’s why I’m here, so that he doesn’t take it upon himself to get answers his way.” I shifted in the chair, studying her.
She’d been dolled up for the saloon, but now her hair hung loose, black and messy, falling to her shoulders. Her eyes were exhausted, like she’d seen some shit, and tonight, she couldn’t hide her pain.
“Look,” she said, walking towards me until she reached the edge of the bed, turning down the bedspread that had seen better days. “I’m leaving as soon as Aces fixes my car. Goodnight.” When she placed one knee onto the bed, that was when I saw it.
The sleep shorts shifted, showing the red fingerprints on her upper leg.
My nostrils flared, and all I saw was red as I tried to force air into my lungs, not letting her see how much this was rattling me. She’d thought silence was the answer, but in our world, it was violence.
The motherfucker had touched her.
Chapter seven
A Thigh For A Thigh
Cactus
I said nothing to Roxy about the fingerprints, nor did she say anything to me about why I was still sitting in her room. She laid down, pulled the bedspread up, and crashed hard. As long as she was working for Angelica, she’d be under Saint’s Outlaws’ protection, which was the only reason I was here.
Her suitcase caught my eye as I focused on the room, remembering I was here to figure her out. I could go through her stuff for my sick gain, but I had a feeling I wouldn’t find anything. There were mostly clothes sticking out and a few toiletries, but nothing that would tell me who she was or if she was running from anything.
Digging through her things was going to be a bust, but I could head back to the saloon. I knew which table the family had been sitting at, and it wouldn’t have been that hard to pull their receipt. However, the club didn’t have tracing capabilities, and this wasn’t worth trading a favor for. I was coming close to a dead end, and that wasn’t fucking acceptable to me either.
Letting out a frustrated moan, I slid back in my chair. I was batting 0 for 2, and I didn’t have a fucking clue how I was going to fix any of this. I let my gaze roam around the room, but when I saw the check presenter, I had a feeling I had just gotten lucky. The saloon had a stack of check presenters at the main register, sothe girls could just place the receipt in one and drop it off at the table. However, Angelica made sure each girl kept her own to track daily earnings. Roxy’s was sitting on the edge of the cheap nightstand.
Although the lamp remained on, she didn’t move as I quietly sat on the edge of the bed. Roxy didn’t even twitch, and that pissed me off. She should never have crashed with me in the room. Her lack of self-preservation was a problem. She’d run into danger, head first, and Angelica would step in to defend her. It would force Scorpion to rear his ugly head. Roxy would pay, even if it hadn’t been her fault.
