The Rogue

Chapter 2-1

2

Closing time at the Last Chance Pub always made Serena Riggs antsy. Inside the bar, busy slinging drinks and wisecracks, she felt safe. It was the moment when she left, stepping into the crisp air and empty streets of Rocky Peak, that put her nerves on edge.

Sometimes Jake walked her home, but she didn’t want to lean on him too much. She was a big girl and could take care of herself—or at least she had up to this point in her life. So she’d armed herself with a can of bear spray, figuring it must work on people too, and lived on constant alert.

“Serena, I’m glad you’re still here. I have a problem.”

“Solutions are my superpower.” She smiled at her boss, who was truly a doll in man’s clothing. To her certain knowledge, a good twenty-five percent of the female customers at the Last Chance had a secret crush on Jake. Not her—they were tailor-made to be great friends. He’d been a lifesaver since she’d come to this tiny mountain outpost. But that was as far as it would ever go. “How can I save your fine ass today?”

He rolled his eyes at her compliment, which was completely sincere. She was an artist, after all, and knew an impeccable physique when she saw one. “I have to go away for a few days.”

“Ooh, mysterious. Anything romantic going on?”

“No, nothing like that. It’s a…reunion, I guess you could say.”

That sounded mysterious too. But since he obviously didn’t want to say more, she didn’t push it. That’s how she and Jake rolled and why they were able to be such good friends and coworkers. They gave each other space. “Nice. So you want me to run the bar while you’re gone? I can do that. Happy to help.”

“You mean, happy to be in charge?” he said dryly as he picked up a bin of dirty glasses to take to the back.

“Exactly.” She grinned at him. “You’re actually the only boss I’ve ever gotten along with. I’m an alpha dog, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“Yeah, I picked up on that from the way you boss around my customers.”

She gave a little ironic curtsy. “You’re welcome. Don’t you worry about a thing, I got it covered.”

“I know you do. But it’s not that, it’s something else.”

After picking up a load of empty bottles, she followed him into the kitchen. “Now I’m curious. What then?”

He put down the tray of glasses, which clinked against each other. “I don’t want to have to worry about you while I’m gone.”

“Oh.” She dumped the bottles into the bin of recyclables. “Really, you’d worry? That’s sweet, Jake. But not necessary.”

He fixed stern gray-green eyes on her. “Nice try, but that’s not going to cut it. We made a deal. ”

She shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Both of them ached equally from the long night of waiting tables. Jake was the only person in Rocky Peak who knew her reason for coming here. Since he was a bartender and had access to all the local gossip, she’d decided to trust him. She’d sat at this very bar one night and explained to him that she was following the long-cold trail of her missing father. It had brought her here, to this little mountainous dot on the map. And then the trail had disappeared.

Completely.

She’d begged Jake to hire her so she could keep her ears open for more information. What better place than the local watering hole to pick up gossip? He’d offered her a temporary job as a waitress and backup bartender. She’d asked a few questions, focusing on the locals who’d lived in Rocky Peak for a long time. Then someone had left a nasty note on her windshield.

“Shut up and go home,” the note had said. “Or you will pay.”

Two days later another note had appeared in her coat pocket. “Get out of Rocky Peak while you can,” it read, along with a rough drawing of a woman with a noose around her neck.

When she’d shown them to Jake, he’d freaked out and told her the only way she could stay on was if she promised to let him play guard dog. Since then, she’d gotten one more nastygram—someone had left a similar drawing on a napkin at the bar, with the words, “Go away, bitch.”

She could handle nasty notes, as long as it didn’t escalate, so she hadn’t shown that one to Jake.

“All quiet on the western front lately. I think you can go away for a few days without worrying.”

Jake began popping glasses into the dishwasher. It was almost amusing to see such a fit guy filling a dishwasher with those big manly hands. Jake was so damn attractive, it was almost too bad they didn’t have any special sparks between them. “Yeah, sorry, that’s not possible. It’s the responsible boss in me. Never goes away.”

“Okay, then what do you want me to do? Aside from getting a gun, which I’m still not comfortable with. Someone with my temper should not be handling firearms.”

“No, not that. I completely agree.”

She made a face at him. Truth was, she had been tempted to get a weapon. She still might, if she felt it was necessary. Occasionally she eyed the hunting knives displayed in one of the storefronts she passed on her way home. A nice solid knife strapped to her hip—that idea appealed to her aesthetic sense more than a gun. “Then what? A bodyguard?”

His handsome face lit up. “Exactly. You’re a genius!”

“No. No I’m not. It was a silly, dumb—”

“It’s perfect. My brother Griffin could use a distraction. This is for him, really. My dad is driving him crazy up at the lodge.”

Serena waved her hands, as if she could erase those words from the air. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. I was joking about the bodyguard. Absolutely one hundred percent not necessary. Especially him.”

Jake straightened up and scowled at her. All his easygoing charm drained away. “Especially Griffin? What’s wrong with Griffin?”

Oops. Her usual tact and diplomacy showing its non-existent face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to denigrate your brother in any way. But he’s, you know … well, he has a reputation.”

Everyone in Rocky Peak talked about Griffin Rockwell as if he were some kind of god—especially the girls.

“Are you going to believe rumors or his own brother? Griffin is solid gold through and through. He’s tough as hell. He can drive anything on wheels. He’s got nerves of f*****g steel. His mental concentration is incredible.”

“I’m sorry, Jake. I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m sure Griffin is all of those things. But he’s also a…well, kind of a player. You have to admit that.”

“I admit that women find him attractive. But he’s not a player. He’s too busy to be a player. Do you know how much work it takes to achieve the things he has? He’s been in the top ten for the past five years. That’s phenomenal.”

“Top ten in that weird dirt bike race thing, where they get all muddy and…” She broke off at the thunderous look on Jake’s face. “What I mean is, that’s amazing. I’m sure he’s incredible. But what kind of bodyguard experience does he have? And why would he want to be some kind of half-assed bodyguard anyway? What top ten playboy motocross racer would be?

“I trust Griffin,” Jake said simply. “With anything and anyone.”

Quite an endorsement. “You didn’t tell him about—”

“No. I’m leaving that up to you. But you can trust him.”

Maybe other people could, but Serena had no intention of doing so. Trust didn’t come easily to her. In fact, she would probably have no trouble driving Griffin away. Driving men away was one of her specialties.

“So are we cool?” Jake continued. “Because I don’t want to have to worry while I’m gone. Don’t forget our deal.”

She smiled sweetly at him. “We’re cool. You don’t have to worry. And truly, I’m so grateful that you care.”

She rested the box of dirty bottles on the edge of the recycling container. Dumping them all at once was so satisfying. She loved the crash and shatter of all that glass.

“And you’ll be nice to Griffin,” Jake added. “That’s a requirement. He’s going through a rough time.”

Being nice was definitely not part of their deal. “I’m always nice,” she said demurely.

The tumbling of glass onto glass nearly drowned out his hoot of laughter.