Page 32 of Wrath

She reaches over the bar and places her finger over my lips to silence me.

“I’m not anything to you anymore.” She smiles sadly before sliding it over my chin and stepping from around the bar. I turn my head and watch her walk out the door then I quickly drop it between my arms and growl in frustration.

“You not gonna go after her?” Saul gives me a few seconds before he speaks up.

“What’s the point? She just made it real clear where I stand.” I’m about to change the subject and ask him why he’s not gone with his sister to visit their folks, but the door opens and Raze steps through it with Peyton.

“Someone get me a fuckin’ beer.” He sounds groggy as he sits on one of the stools beside me.

“Back already?” It doesn’t feel like any time has passed since they left.

“Old man didn’t exactly make me welcome,” he growls.

“I told him we should have spent the night in New Mexico but he wanted to get back.” Peyton side-eyes him but proves she’s not mad when he tugs his arm around her waist to drag her between his legs and she smiles.

“I can rest now we’re home.” He kisses her while Polly gets behind the bar and pops the top off a beer for him.

“Where’s Eden?” He looks around as if he’s expecting to see her here.

“Your boy here’s pissed her off.” Saul slaps me on the chest.

“I’ve barely been gone 24 hours.” Raze looks at me blankly.

“Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure you’d have done the same thing I did,” I tell him, glaring at Saul as I take the beer Polly cracks for me.

“I think I should go find her.” Peyton places a kiss on Raze’s cheek before heading back out the door while Raze folds his arms and waits for my explanation.

“I may have smashed up her ex’s office, but no one got hurt,” I admit and when Raze blows out a long, heavy breath I tell him exactly why. “She tried going to work this morning and when she got there the front windows were covered in trash talk. It was him, and you know as well as I do that it’s all the start of his planto ruin her reputation. If ya think I was gonna sit back and have someone call her a whore then–”

“Is someone takin’ care of the window?” he interrupts me, looking pissed.

“I got Rocco on it, now,” I explain.

“I wondered why there was no one on the gate when we pulled up. With all that's goin’ on we need to keep someone out there at all times. I wanna know who’s comin’ in and who's goin’ out. Saul, go cover for him.” Raze gestures his head toward the door.

“Gate duty?” Saul’s eyes stretch wide.

“Yeah, well, in case you haven’t noticed we’re runnin’ low on prospects,” Raze snaps, and I quickly glance my eyes at Polly to remind him that she’s still standing there.

Raze closes his eyes and shakes his head.

“Sorry, Pol, I’m tired. I just did a lot of drivin’” He scrubs his hand over his face.

“It’s fine, you meant nothing by it” She smiles bravely before disappearing through to the kitchen.

“Me and my big fuckin’ mouth.” He takes another sip of his beer.

“Don’t beat yourself up, like you said, you’ve done a lot of drivin’. Why don’t ya head home, get some rest? I’ll take care of things here.”

“I can’t, right now. The old man told me about a woman from back in Cliff’s Colorado days, he thinks she could be the person we need to speak to. I need to find out where she is and arrange a way to speak to her.” He sounds hopeful, but I can tell him straight away that he’s wrong and when he goes to stand up I force him to sit back down.

“Tomorrow,” I tell him. “You need rest or you’ll be no good to any of us.” I’m relieved when he nods his head back at me in defeat.

“What ya gonna do about Eden?” He finishes the last of his beer.

“I don’t think there's a lot he can do, she was pretty mad.” Saul’s voice comes from behind me.

“Are you still here?” I turn my head and let him see that he’s pissing me off.

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