Page 62 of Bourbon and Secrets

Motherfucker.

He steps closer, quick to keep me from moving anywhere but back. My heel wobbles on the grass. The ground is hard and frozen this time of year. “You've been gone for a while, Faye. I don’t think you recognize how things work around here now.” I try to right myself, glancing to the left and right to find my best route to escape.

I’d rather not cause a scene out here right now, but it’s polarizing knowing that it’s just the two of us alone. Or so I thought.

A blur of a tall body dressed in black behind Waz snags my attention. The next few seconds happen quickly as hands wrap around Waz’s shoulders and throw him off balance.Lincoln. It’sjust long enough that with two broad steps and a half-cocked arm, the charming Foxx brother thrusts two quick jabs to Waz’s nose before the asshole can even find his footing. The crack of cartilage on the second punch, coupled with the spray of blood, should make Waz go down, but cockroaches are stronger than they appear.

More than twenty feet from me, Waz’s blood-soaked smile is laced with calculating interest as he stands at his full height. “I should have known you’d be in bed with a Foxx. Didn’t take Shelby much time to cozy up to them either.”

I glance at Lincoln, not understanding the reference.

Lincoln’s chest heaves as his fist remains clenched and twitching at his side.

Waz laughs and spits, “Better watch out with this one, Lincoln. She has a habit of murderin’ men.”

My stomach sinks. It’s nothing that Lincoln probably hasn’t already thought about, but hearing it out loud makes my throat dry and fingers twitch along the pepper spray that I’m clenching in my hand.

Lincoln doesn’t miss a beat when he says, “I know exactly who she is. And I think you might be underestimating her because, if I had to guess, she’s got at least one weapon in each hand, ready to call this exactly what it is.” He looks over his shoulder at me with a wink and says, “Self-defense.”

Waz glares at me, ignoring Lincoln. “Faye, we should have another talk. We’ll include Maggie next time. You Calloway women were always such a surprise.” He spits out more blood so it hits right in front of Lincoln’s foot. “Foxx, those little girls of yours are growing up real fast now?—”

I step in front of the Lincoln and pull out the pepper spray, flip off the safety feature, and let it rain, nailing Waz square in the face. I box Lincoln out the best I can, and he grabs my hips, trying to move us away from the remnants of the blinding spray.

“That’s for laying a hand on my sister,” I grit out.

Waz cries out a series of “fucks” while tripping over his own feet as he moves backwards and away. His ass hits the pavement with a thud. “You’re so fucking dead, girlie.”

I huff a laugh, walking closer to him as he tries to scoot away from me. “You better watch who you threaten, Waz. Like you said, I have a habit of murderin’ men.”

Being blindsided by tonight’s attendees and the fact that he hurt Maggie was more than enough to be the last straw for me. But hearing him even mention Lincoln’s girls, I snapped. My hands shake with adrenaline as I cover my nose and mouth, trying to keep from inhaling any of what I just sprayed.

“Faye,” Lincoln says in his deep voice. “I said let’s go.” His hand grabs a hold of mine and interlocks our fingers, pulling me down the alleyway, away from the ugliness.

He laughs out, “That was stupidly badass, Peach.”

I let out an exasperated sigh. With my adrenaline pumping, I focus back on what Waz said, that I still didn’t understand:Didn’t take Shelby much time to cozy up to them either.“What did he mean? About my mom?”

Lincoln’s brow furrows as we walk. When he turns his head to meet my attention, it registers just as the words leave his lips. “Shelby and Griz were together. It was short—only maybe a few months before she—” He clears his throat.Before she passed. “Griz fell hard for Shelby.” His voice changes and looks back as we walk. “You didn’t know?”

I think through this, concentrating on the new information.My mom and Griz Foxx?It clicks why Maggie and Griz had that exchange—the familiarity and closeness I witnessed. He spent time with my mom, meaning so did she. Lincoln takes over for the valet, opening the passenger door of a souped-up Jeep, and ushers me inside. I zone out and stare at the road ahead as hefloors the gas pedal. I try to take a deep breath, but I can’t seem to do it.I missed so much.

After a few minutes, he breaks the silence. “We teased Griz about finding new things to do outside of the distillery. And then one day, Shelby showed up at family dinner. Maggie came with her a few times, too. And Griz...” He shifts gears and the Jeep punches forward. “They were happy. It was nice to see him like that again. It’d been so long since we lost my nana.” He swallows, and without me saying a word, he keeps talking. “Shelby was the one who got Griz to find more things—got him to go to her book clubs. And bake sales. She was quiet at first, didn’t share too much. But they both laughed. Sometimes just a look between the two of them and they’d start cracking up. It would always make Lark and Lily laugh too. I think you would have liked seeing her with him.”

My eyes water at the idea of her being happy. I hadn’t thought she’d found that. I pictured her the way I left her—broken and sad at what she had to do that night.

“They weren’t what anyone expected, but when you saw them together, there was no question that the oldest bourbon boy fell for the rodeo cowgirl.”

I bat away the tear that falls as I stare out into the blurred darkness of trees and sky. What I wouldn’t have given to see her with someone who made her feel that way.

“It’s why the rodeo comes to town. They do their end of season pro-am event here in Fiasco. Foxx Bourbon sponsors the event, and the rest of the money gets donated to local charities. Griz told her it was his gift to her—his rodeo princess.”

I suck in a breath. This isn’t what I was expecting to learn when coming home. I look up, trying to keep the rest of my tears from trailing down my cheeks. Thank goodness for the dark interior of the car. It’s not lost on me that he’s talking tome about this so openly, being so kind. Answering my question when I know he has plenty of his own.

“This town has a lot to say about people who fall in love with a Foxx. It’s considered a tragedy what happened with my nana. Then my parents were killed a handful of years before that. Then it all went to shit. First Fiona, then Olivia, and then Shelby—” he cuts himself off, and my chest tightens as I look his way. “People find it easier to assign blame for something, so Fiasco named our ‘something’ the Foxx curse.” He lets out a sarcastic laugh before he mumbles, “Fucking feels like it some days.”

“You don’t honestly believe that?” I tilt my head, waiting for a response that doesn’t come as he takes the next turn sharp and punches the gas down the road. He glances at me briefly as I study his profile.

“I could use a drink. How ’bout you?”

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