Page 71 of His Last Shot
This is one of our favorite things. Her sitting in my lap anywhere, really. In the truck, on the couch, in a chair. Doesn’t matter. She loves it because she feels cherished, which she has never felt before. Me, I just love having her in my arms. But, right now, she needs to be reassured that everything will be okay.
On instinct, I plant a kiss on her lips, then a small peck on the end of her perfectly sloped nose. “I’ll be fine, my love. But now that you’ve told me all of this, I will be more cautious.”
“I can’t lose you,” she whispers while her palm rests on my heart and her forehead against mine.
“You won’t. I promise.”
“You can’t make that kind of promise.”
I let out a long sigh. “Okay … how about this? I promise to neverintentionallyleave you.”
A low chuckle rumbles in her chest. “That’s just a fancy way of saying it.”
“But it’s one hundred percent the truth.” I grab her waist and pull her even tighter against me.
“Please, just promise me you will be careful. I highly doubt he would do anything to you since he knows how much that would hurt me. But I don’t trust him, Johnny. Power and control. He loves it.”
I snake my fingers through her hair and pull her face closer. Perfect lips hover over mine. “I promise.” I seal my words with a searing kiss.
On my drive home, I replay the conversation in my head. Both from dinner and in my truck. A spark of unease gnaws at me. I’ve never trusted Dexter. Evenwhen Scott accepted the remodel, something didn’t sit right with me. He oozes shady and untrustworthy.
But Rachel’s revelation is causing me some anxiety, I admit. I rest my elbow on the door as I run my thumb over my lip, trying to calm my nerves. Other than illegal gambling, what is this guy involved in? And how is Drew in on it all?
And how can I protect Rachel from them?
21
What Do You Want From Me?
Rachel
With music streaming throughout the bar and the liquor stocked, I flip the lock on Dexter’s door.
It’s three pm. Opening time. Which means I’m all alone until four, since that’s when the rest of the staff arrives and the kitchen opens. Around that time, our regulars, including the OBGs, amble in. When they are here, it gives this place a familiar, comforting atmosphere.
My other true north and calming presence is spending the evening with his family. Scott gave him grief the other day, saying he’s never around anymore since he met me. I mean, he’s not wrong. But then Scott went for the jugular and told Johnny that Mallory missed him.
That was all it took.
But it’s fine. It’s Sunday, our slowest day of the week, which also means we close a few hours early. I’ll meet Johnny at his place when I get off. My body tingles at the thought.
As I head back to the bar, Dexter emerges from the hole that is his office. Immediately, my shoulders tense. Our relationship has changed as of late. He planted this seed of resentment when he shut down my nursing school ambitions, stifling my hopes and leaving me unheard.
It was a turning point for me. It took time, but ultimately, I realized he has no interest in helping me grow as a person. He likes me here in this bar,slinging bottle necks with hurting joints, dating Drew, and controlling my life. Something I let him get away with for far too long.
But then Johnny entered the picture. Because of him, I feel special, valued, and like I deserve to have what I want in life. Like I can achieve anything. I’m a woman of beauty and strength, and I’m desired.
My hands cover my cheeks as they pink with thoughts of Johnny. Dexter pulls up a bar stool and sits. “It was nice running into you and Johnny last night.”
“It was,” I lie.
“But you really hurt Drew.”
Rolling my eyes, I huff out a small chuckle as I grab myself a water from the cooler under the bar. I unscrew the cap and take a quick sip; the coolness doing little to calm my nerves. “Nope”—I screw the cap back on—“he hurt himself when he cheated on me.”
“Come on, Rachel, we both know he messed up and wants to fix this. He still loves you.”
“He told you that?”
