"Hey, let me ask you something," the man tried to whisper, giving him a dopey smile, but his voice was loud enough for anyone nearby to hear.
Hayden just looked at the man. His name was Sanders or something. Hayden was pretty sure it was his last name since a lot of the men who worked in the meat packing plant referred to each other either by dumb nicknames or just their surnames. The man was a regular at the bar. Spent more of his paycheck here than he did at home. Somewhere in his forties, Sanders was a loudmouth and a shit talker when drunk—and he was always drunk as far as Hayden could tell. Whatever he had to say, Hayden instinctively knew he didn't want to hear it.
Looking over to his right, Hayden caught sight of Joel's and Vic's faces. A mixture of wary curiosity and fatigue painted their features. It was late, and they were all too tired for no doubt Sanders' bullshit, judging by the growing shit-eating grin on the man's red, sweaty face.
Looking up to the four men, presumably Sander's friends, who stood a few feet behind him, Hayden looked back to Sanders and begrudgingly stepped closer to the bar.
Mirroring his stance, Hayden placed both fists against the bar's edge and gave the drunk a hard look. "What?" he demanded.
The threat of Hayden's mood didn't penetrate the man's inebriated brain. Boldly, Sanders leaned forward, huffing out his sour breath in Hayden's face. "I heard you have a hot piece of ass working in your café," he drawled in a loud stage whisper. "I may need to come by and see what you're hiding."
Hayden watched the man give him a meaningful wink.
Flicking his gaze up from Sander's bleary gaze and up to his friends, Hayden watched as the three men's snickers died instantly as their gaze met his. He looked back to Sanders, who was still wearing that perverted grin.
Hayden's hand found the man's throat faster than anyone could predict. Ignoring the chorus of shouts from the man's friends, Hayden yanked Sanders onto the counter. Satisfaction snaked through Hayden as he watched fear wash over Sanders' features. Much better.
"Hey! What the fuck?!" One of the other men in Sanders' group tried to yell.
Lifting his eyes from Sanders' who he still held tightly to the counter, Hayden threw a sharp look at the three men approaching the bar. They stilled immediately.
He knew what they were seeing. Hayden didn't need to look to feel the presence of his brothers next to him. He knew they were looking into their calm but deadly expressions right now. It would be five against three, but they also knew it would be more than enough to put them into the hospital. Silently the small group of men shifted on their feet and stepped back.
Silence was spreading across the room. Hayden only had a few seconds before the whole room was focusing on them.
Releasing Sanders' neck, Hayden slapped the man on the back—hard.
"Tell you what," he announced, giving Sanders and his friends a savage smile. "The next round is on me. Just make sure to run and tell your friends that the girl you just calleda hot piece of assis off limits. Off limits from looking at and most certainly talking to. Understand?" Hayden squeezed the nape of his neck and watched the man wince and give him a shaky nod. "Good."
Letting him go, Hayden took the glass of beer Vic handed him and set it on the counter in front of Sanders.
"Make sure you don't forget."
Chapter fifteen
Chapter15
Sapphire was standing in the far corner of the school bathroom when her phone vibrated in her pocket. Technically, she was supposed to be in class, but since today was test day, and she was one of the first to finish and turn in her test, she was allowed to get out of class a little earlier than the rest. This was when the school was at its most tolerable. The quiet echo of the hallways felt like a best-kept secret while classrooms just beyond their heavy doors sat swelled with children and noise.
Going to the far corner of the bathroom where the fogged windows were, Sapphire twisted the stiff metal latch and pushed open the window to vent in the cold outside air. Spring was on the horizon, and she couldn't help but wonder what the blooming season did to a flat little prairie town like Holter.
Looking down at her phone, she paused at the sight of her mother's text.
Mom:Going to call.
Before she could even consider the full meaning of the text, Sapphire's phone began to ring, and the picture of her mother's face flashed over her phone.
For a second, Sapphire just stared at the picture. It was probably the only known photo in history of Jennifer Waters taken candidly. In the photo, she was looking over her shoulder as if she had just been called out to. A slight scowl hovered in the lines of her brow, and her brown cat-like eyes, one of her most distinguishing features, were laser-sharp instead of filled with their usual fabricated charm. In this picture, her mother was exactly how Sapphire had always seen the woman: shrewd and simmering with a never-ending stream of dissatisfaction coursing under her veins.
Sapphire swiped the screen, answering it.
"So, you actually decided to call and see if I was alive, huh?" Sapphire answered dryly, not giving her mother even the chance to say hello. "It's only been a couple of weeks. Certainly, no one ever gets murdered in that short of time."
When she finally answered, her mother's voice was its usual mixture of syrupy calm and bite. "You're not dumb enough to get yourself murdered. I taught you better than that."
You've taught me nothing but how to have rampant trust issues.It wasn't worth arguing with the woman. "Okay, so what do you want now?"
"I don't want anything." This time Sapphire heard some of the indignation in her voice, but she quickly masked the slip up with an almost cruel little laugh in her tone as she continued. "I just wanted to see how you were holding up in that godforsaken little town."
