Page 46 of His Old Lady

Chapter 16

Curley

Outside the vacantwarehouse, Curley unlocked the door. He spread his fingers on Faye's lower back and guided her inside with him. She hadn't opened her mouth once since they'd arrived, and he held on to the hope that she was willing to listen.

The barren room had nothing to impress her. There were two windows on the far side, not facing the street. And three-thousand square feet of concrete floor. Each of his steps echoed against the high ceiling.

Faye followed him into the middle of the room. He stopped and faced her.

She glanced at him before looking around the empty space again. He only had one shot laying out the idea to her. After that, Walker would hold up the deal he'd made with her, and Faye would no longer be his. And there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

He needed her to agree to his plan, for both their sakes.

"Why am I here?" she asked.

"Because you and your friends need a job, and I'm interested in hiring servers." He folded his arms across his chest. "It doesn't look like much—"

"It doesn't look like anything."

"It will." He reached out to rub her cheek and stopped before touching her. Clearing his throat, he said, "Give me two weeks, and this place will be a bar."

Her brows raised, and her eyes danced in amusement. "Sure, it will."

There might not be anything here at the moment, but with everyone in Tarkio lending a hand, he'd have enough tables and chairs lined up. If needed, he could order some kegs until he could line up a supplier for alcohol.

Beer and women. There wasn't much more a man needed for a good time and to lay down some money. Every Tarkio member knew how to throw a party. Everything else involved in running a business was paperwork.

"It'll take at least three weeks to get a liquor license." She turned in a circle, looking over the area. "Not to mention insurance."

"I can speed things through," he said.

It'd taken him two days to contact the owner of the warehouse and work out a deal to rent the place. He wasn't looking long-term. A year would give him time to calm Walker down and keep Faye close to his side.

If for somehow, the bar became profitable, he'd turn the business over to Tarkio or sell the outfit to someone else. He'd be happy to only have the V.P. position at the club, keeping him busy.

"Of course, you're a Tarkio member," she murmured, facing him. "I still don't think it's a good idea for us to work together."

"Why not?"

She tilted her head, gazing at him. "Because you can't stand to be around me."

"That's not true."

Her lips thinned, and she shrugged. "It is what it is, Curley."

He hooked her chin with his finger, raising her gaze. Deep down, she had to know how much he wanted her.

Her eyes flickered as if she couldn't make up her mind on which of his eyes to look at, or maybe she was fighting her own feelings. It was hard to tell how she felt.

He walked across the room, giving her space. "I'll pay you better than Lance does at Kingston Bar."

He needed her away from the other business. Tarkio wasn't welcome there. Men who called themselves bikers without a club hung out there and were known to cause trouble. More nights than not, the cops were called to settle everyone down.

He had no control over the atmosphere, and couldn't guarantee she'd be safe if she continued working for Lance. If she needed help, valuable minutes would get in-between her call and his arrival.

Understanding why Walker agreed to help her leave him if she stopped working at Kingston Bar, if she turned him down on the job—he'd lose her.

Faye had no idea what she'd gotten her and her friends into by working for Lance, and he wanted her somewhere safe. More importantly, he wanted her to feel like she had a choice on where she could work.

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