Page 41 of Smoke

Scarrow plays with my pussy, delicately stroking just inside the crease of my opening. “We’re going to have to experiment with that.” He applies gentle pressure to my clit. “Test the limits.”

Hawk nods. “But first she needs to clean up. She needs rest.” He nudges me away and toward the bathroom. “Take a long hot shower, Cherry. You’ve earned it. We’ll be waiting out here.”

I zone out as they finish loading the truck, a little too relaxed from the massage Scar gave me earlier. After Omen applied ointment to my ass cheeks, Scarrow insisted on rubbing my aching joints. And I’m glad he did. I’ve been carrying around so much stress and unresolved trauma that it was starting to manifest as a new pain in my body every day.

“You sure you’re feeling up for this tonight?” Hawk asks.

I gasp, feigning shock. “Hawk Riley, are you suggesting that I skip the Crimson Valley County Fair for the first time since… never?”

He shrugs. Hawk never liked going. There’s too many people and way too much stimulation for his liking. Put him in a dark room with soft music and he’s the happiest man alive. “It wouldn’t be the end of the world if you skipped it this year, Cherry. Especially with all that’s going on.”

I gasp again, this time for real. “Oh, it most certainly would be. Can you imagine the devastation it would cause? All those God-fearing folks lining up for my famous pink wine slushies, risking their reputations and the ire of their beloved Father Eli, just for me to not show up?” I’m being dramatic, but I’m only half-joking. Since the first year I opened Level Up, I’ve always had a booth at the fair.

Hawk finally cracks a smirk. “You think way too highly of those pink drinks, Cherry. They aren’t all that. Trust me, I’ve tasted them. Those people line up to catch a glimpse of you flashing that sexy smile back at them.”

I cock my hip to the side and give him a playful shove. “Oh yeah? Mrs. Tilly comes for my sexy smile?”

He laughs harder now, his cheeks blushing. “I guarantee you she does.”

“Hawk, she’s nearly eighty-years old,” I shriek. I’m in absolute hysterics now.

“Age ain’t nothing but a number, baby,” he teases.

I love this side of him too. It’s the version of him I met when he and his momma first moved in. That beautiful light in his eyes went out after she passed, but it didn’t die with her. It’s just buried deep.

Omen stalks over carrying the last case of rosé we could find in the back storage. Luckily, I’ve been prepping for months for the fair and was smart enough to stockpile a large stash. I don’t sell much rosé on a nightly basis so there was no need to keep it out front. A blessing in disguise since Kane decided to destroy everything he could get his hands on.

I can’t even stomach it. I know it will all get fixed and my pinball machines will get replaced. But it won’t be the same. The ones I had were rare and vintage. I can track more down but it will cost me. And I don’t have that kind of capital.

“Hey don’t go to that dark place right now,” Hawk coaxes. “We’re gonna find him.”

Omen hisses. “That dude’s like a fucking racoon. Where the fuck does he go at night after he’s done messing with our shit?”

Hawk’s eyes narrow. “We’re flushing him out. There’s a meth camp out in the woods with lots of places to hide, but I know all the hiding spots.”

Scarrow trots up. “The bar’s locked up tight now. I got two guys at the front door, two upstairs, and three in separate cars scattered around this parking lot. No one is fucking breaking into Level Up ever again.”

I throw my arms around his neck. “Thanks, Scar. I’m so happy you’re here.” I step back and give Omen and Hawk each a kiss on the cheek. “I’m glad all of you are here.”

Hawk nods. “Everything is as it should be, baby girl. Now let’s get you to the fairgrounds before all the little church ladies start a riot.”

I slide into the truck next to Scarrow while Omen and Hawk follow behind in Hawk’s muscle car. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, but my stomach is in knots. I didn’t have the guts to tell them that I unblocked Kane’s number from my phone.

After what he did last night, I had to give him a piece of my mind. I open my phone to reread the drunken angry messages I sent him at three in the morning.

Kane, this needs to fucking stop. You’re ruining my life. What the fuck?

I shouldn’t have contacted him.

You get what you deserve, bitch. I would’ve smacked you around too if you’d been home and not whoring yourself out to those animals. You’re momma would be so ashamed of you, Cherry pie.

“You all right, sweetheart?” Scarrow asks over the loud bass coming from the speakers.

I nod and force a smile. “I’m perfect.”

Being oblivious and way too into this song, he winks and goes back to twiddling his thumbs against the steering wheel.

I swallow hard and glance back at my phone.