Page 118 of Smokey's Distraction
She raised her head and looked up at him. “I told you what happened.”
“Darlin’, somethin’ hasn’t been right since you got here. Like the flat tire, and that dude in the lot at the Buckhorn. You need to tell me without holding anything back.”
Sighing, she pulled away and tucked her legs underneath her. “A lot of scary shit has happened to me since I’ve been here, but it really started in Denver several years ago.”
He placed his hand over hers. “Go on.”
“It all started when my old boss, Jeffrey Elion, decided to embezzle a shit ton of money from the company.”
For the next hour, Ashley told her story, leaving out no detail. Smokey stayed silent as the words spilled out. After she’d finished, he drew her to him, telling her that everything would be all right, and that he would take care of her.
And she believed him.
No longer was she alone in this battle.
Smokey was there, and he wasn’t going anywhere.
20
Ping!Ping! Ping!
Smokey’s eyes snapped open. There was a noise at the window across from the bed. Straining his ears, he listened closely. There it was again: three distinct taps against the window. A tapping like rain, or even hail.
There was an interval of silence, long enough for Smokey to dismiss it as a twig swiping against the glass. Glancing over at the nightstand next to Ashley, he looked at the luminous numbers on the alarm clock.Three o’clock in the morning. The noise didn’t wake her up. She was sound asleep, her breathing shallow.
Then, several morepings, louder and harder than the others. Jerking into a sitting position, he slid out of bed and walked over to the window. Peeking out of one of the slats, he saw it wasn’t raining.Something’s going on.
He grabbed his boxers and jeans off the chair and slipped them on, then pulled on his boots. Picking up his jacket, he reached inside the pocket and took out his Glock 19.
“Where are you going?” Ashley mumbled softly, sleep muffling her tone.
Turning around, he found her sitting up in bed, her hair mussed, holding the sheet over her naked tits. A shaft of moonlight fell across her face, highlighting her surprised expression as she stared at him.
“I want to check something out.”
She looked over at the clock. “At this hour?”
Walking toward her, Smokey leaned over and stroked the side of her face. “I heard something outside, and I’m going to check it out.”
“What did you hear?”
“Something against the window. It’s probably tree branches, but I wanna make sure.”
“And you’re taking a gun? Wait … why do you have a gun with you?”
He smiled. “I’m in an outlaw club, remember? I’ll be back soon.”
Ashley grabbed his arm. “I want to go with you.”
“No, you stay here until I get back. I’ll put the alarm on when I leave.”
“I don’t want you to go. You may get hurt.”
Caressing her cheek with the back of his fingers, he said, “Don’t worry—I’ll be fine.” Hugging her close, the sheet fell down, and her bare tits crushed against him, making his cock jerk. He kissed her then pulled away. On top of the nightstand, he picked up a knife and pushed it into his left boot, then crossed the room to the control box to disarm the alarm. Smokey looked over his shoulder and locked eyes with Ashley, her bottom lip quivering.Fuck.
“It’s going to be okay.”
“Promise?” she whispered.
