Dawson's Stand (Welcome to Covendale Book 4) (4 page)

The first thing he noticed out in the lot was the big black pickup parked next to Jonah’s car. Every other person around here drove a truck, but he knew this one. The chrome rock rails, the bull bar on the front—it was Dean Wesley’s. And the son of a bitch definitely hadn’t been in the bar.

Suddenly he wondered just who Jenny had texted before they came out here.

Before he could find out, the deputy strolled out from behind the truck. With three of his friends in tow. Gage recognized two of them—Bobby and Vince, the thick-necked dim bulbs who ran the scrap yard. He didn’t know the last guy, who was an even bigger meathead than the rest.

“Dawson.” Dean stopped in front of the car, grinning. “Let me guess. This is your brother’s car.”

“Actually, it is. Deputy Dean.” It wasn’t easy to hold himself back. He had a pretty good idea what Dean was planning, and the fact that he’d brought three friends to do it really pissed him off. One on one, the deputy didn’t have a chance unless he was hiding behind his badge. “But hey, if you don’t want to take my word for it, feel free to check with Jonah.”

Panic flickered in Dean’s eyes for an instant, and he actually looked around the lot, as if he expected the eldest Dawson to jump out and break something valuable. Like his neck. But the worry eased into smug satisfaction, and he took a few steps closer. “Don’t worry, Dawson,” he said. “I’m not on duty tonight, so I can’t bust you for being a lowlife scum. Even if you deserve it.”

“Mind telling me what you want then, Dean?” he said through clenched teeth.

“Oh, this is personal,” the deputy said. “How about you tell me what you’re doing here with my girlfriend?”

“She dumped you.”

“Did she? That’s funny…she never told me that.”

A muffled giggle sounded to his right. Gage whipped around to glare at Jenny, who shrugged slightly and smirked. “I knew you wouldn’t say no if I asked you out,” she said. “You’ve always been so damned full of yourself. We just wanted to make sure you couldn’t hide behind your brothers.”

His jaw twitched. “And you wanted to get me high, so I couldn’t react when they jumped me,” he said. “Was that part of the plan, too?”

“Would’ve been a nice bonus,” Dean said. “But we’ll just work without it.”

Gage shook his head. “You’re pathetic,” he said. “You know you can’t beat me alone. So what, you think winning four-to-one makes you better?” He sneered. “It makes you a bully, and a coward.”

“Look who’s talking.” Dean glanced at Jenny and jerked his head, and she scuttled off toward the truck and safety. “If you weren’t a Dawson, you’d be nothing. All you have is your brothers’ reputation. And those two? They’re the walk.” His lips curled into a cruel smile. “You’re just the talk.”

Gage ignored the jab and took a mental step back to assess the situation. Bobby and Vince had him flanked, and the fourth was past them and coming up at his back. At this point it didn’t matter what he did. Two of them, he could handle. Maybe three in a real pinch. But not four. One way or another, he was in for a beating. So he could stand here and take it—or go down fighting.

That wasn’t even a question. After all, he was a Dawson.

“Just talk, huh?” He grinned and faced Dean fully, his fists clenched and ready. If he was going down, he’d make sure the bastard had a few souvenirs of his own. “All right, Deputy Dean. Let’s test that theory.”

“Stop it!”

The female voice rang out like a shot, startling the breath from him. Every head turned toward the sound—and Gage’s heart wrenched sharply as Kyla stepped out from between two cars, looking more vulnerable than ever.

Chapter 4

Kyla’s heart lodged in her throat. She forced her hands not to shake as she pointed the can of Mace she’d carried for the past year at the nearest huge man, the one who’d been circling behind Gage. This was a really stupid idea—if she hadn’t been just a little drunk, she never would’ve had the guts to come out here. But she’d done it, and she couldn’t back down now.

When she finally came out of the bathroom, she’d heard raised voices through the back door. So she’d looked out the window and seen a fight about to happen. She still would’ve ignored it, except it was four against one.

She knew a little something about being hopelessly outmatched. And she wasn’t about to let it happen here, even if Gage was just as bad as the bartender said. No one deserved this.

“Well, shit,” the big man in front of her drawled. “You gonna squirt me with your hairspray?”

She smiled sweetly. “It’s Mace.”

He blinked and backed away.

“Kyla?” Gage stared at her, half-turned away from the man who’d been about to punch him. “What are you doing?”

“Helping you.” She approached slowly, still holding the can out like a shield. Now her legs wanted to shake, and her stomach was doing that flip-flop thing again. “Are you all right?”

A half-smile formed on his lips. “I’m fine,” he said. “But you should—”

“Watch out!”

She was still too far away to stop the man right in front of Gage, who’d taken advantage of the distraction to drive a fist in his gut. Gage doubled over with a barking cough, and the man punched him in the face, so hard she could hear the impact. Hard enough to slam him against the car next to him. He bounced off and hit the pavement—and somehow bounded back to his feet.

Furious, Kyla sprinted at the aggressor and blasted him with the Mace. The spray hit him full in the face.

The man gagged, stumbled back and dropped to his knees. He swiped at his face, letting out horrible cawing sounds as his eyes squeezed shut and the skin around them turned an angry maroon.

“Kyla!” Suddenly Gage was at her side, one hand out as if to stop her. “Oh, sh—” He cut himself off with effort. “You okay?”

She nodded slowly, her gaze riveted to the man she’d sprayed. She’d never actually used this stuff on anyone, and never expected to. It just helped her feel safe. From the way he was trying to spit between thin screams, she guessed some of it had gotten in his mouth.

Well, at least she knew it worked now.

Two of the others rushed over and helped the man to his feet. As they did, Gage stepped forward and shielded her with an arm. “We’re done here,” he said, his voice low and threatening. “You just get out of here and go clean him up. Understand?”

Kyla knew he was making sure they didn’t start anything with her. She appreciated it, because there wasn’t much spray left in the canister.

The injured man snarled and forced his eyes open. They were so bright red, they practically glowed. “So now you’re getting your girlfriends to save you?” he said, his voice gravel-rough. “That’s low, Dawson. Even for you. Did you plan this out, or just get lucky?”

“I’m not his girlfriend.” Somehow Kyla managed to speak in normal tones, as she finally got around to wondering where Jenny went. “I just don’t like bullies.”

The man let out a withering laugh. “Well, then. I guess you picked the wrong side.”

“Oh my God. Dean!”

The female voice came from behind her. She half-turned and saw Jenny run past her, headed for the other man. The woman shoved one of his friends away and put an arm around him. “Oh, babe, what happened?” She directed a fierce glare at Gage. “What did you do to him?”

Kyla’s head spun a little. “What…?” she whispered.

“Long story,” Gage said to her. “Don’t worry about it.”

Dean shook free of his supporters and stepped forward. “This isn’t over, Dawson.”

“It is for tonight.”

The man glared for a long moment, then turned on a heel and jerked his head, stumbling a bit as he walked away. The rest of them followed without a word.

Gage stayed where he was until the truck peeled out of the parking lot with Jenny at the wheel. When it was gone, he stepped back and leaned against the car, then folded an arm across his stomach and let his head fall forward. “You’re a crazy woman,” he said, panting slightly. “Knew I liked you.”

Concern drove all the questions out of her mind. “You said you were okay.”

“I am. Just need a minute.” He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Son of a…gun caught me off guard. He was wearing both his rings, too.” Finally, he lifted his head.

There was a deep gash under one green eye, and the skin around it was already starting to bruise and swell.

“Oh, no. You’re bleeding.” This time she couldn’t keep her hands from shaking as she thrust the Mace back in her purse and found a travel pack of tissues. “Here,” she said, fumbling one free. “Let me…”

He touched her arm gently and waited until she looked at him. “I’m okay,” he said deliberately. “Trust me, it would’ve been a lot worse without you.”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I believe it.”

“Good.” He smiled and took the tissue, wincing as he dabbed at his eye. “Well, that’s going to look real pretty tomorrow,” he said.

Kyla drew a long breath and forced herself to calm down. “I’ll go in and get some ice from the bartender.”

“No, don’t.” He glanced at the back door and shook his head. “Matt will just call the sheriff’s office, and with my luck they’d send Dean back here. I’ve had enough of him for tonight.”

She frowned. “The guy who jumped you? Why would the sheriff send him?”

“Er. You don’t know…” Gage sighed sharply. “Dean is a cop. A deputy, actually.”

“He’s a
cop
? Were those other guys cops too?”

“No, they’re just his scumbag buddies. He’s off duty tonight.”

A shiver traveled down her spine. “Why would a cop try to beat you up?” she said. “And Jenny…I thought she was your girlfriend.”

A dark look shadowed his features. “She was a mistake,” he said. “One I won’t be repeating.”

“Oh.”

“I’m sorry. I must sound like such a jerk.” His face cleared, and he straightened slowly. “I don’t think I actually said this, so thank you. That was about the bravest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said. “And I owe you one.”

She almost laughed.
Brave
definitely didn’t describe her, especially what she’d just done. More like stupid. She’d been scared out of her mind—even now, everything inside her hummed and fluttered like a cloud of butterflies. “No, you don’t,” she said. “Anyone else would’ve done the same.”

His smile was painfully sad. “Not for me, they wouldn’t.”

“You mean because you’re—”

“A Dawson?” The smile vanished. “Yeah, that’s right.”

She stared at the ground. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

“Don’t worry about it. I should’ve known Matt would jump at the chance to be first in line for the mud-slinging.” He paused, and when she looked up he was smiling a little. “But you came out here anyway. Thank you for that.”

“You’re welcome.”

“So anyway, I meant it. I owe you one,” he said. “How do you feel about pie?”

She blinked. “What?”

“Pie. You know. Pastry filled with—um, pie stuff.” He grinned. “My sister swears it’s the best way to get rid of stress. I just think Pete’s Diner makes great pie.”

Kyla stared at him. “Are you…asking me out?”

“No. I’m offering to buy you some pie.”

The quivering sensation in her gut eased a little. “Well, thank you for the offer,” she said. “But I can’t.”

“Right.” His expression flattened. “For a minute, I forgot who I was.”

“Oh, it’s not that!” She said it so forcefully, she startled herself. “The truth is, I haven’t had a drink since…in a long time. And I had two tonight, so I’m feeling kind of shaky.” She managed a smile. “That sounds so lame, doesn’t it? Two drinks and I’m done.”

“It doesn’t sound lame.” He started to reach for her, but seemed to change his mind halfway there. “But are you okay to drive? I mean, if you’re out of it, you probably shouldn’t.”

“Got it covered. I took a taxi here.”

He laughed. “I didn’t even know we had taxis in Covendale,” he said. “Well in that case, at least let me drive you home. Save you the fare.”

Her first instinct was to say no. It had nothing to do with rumors, and everything to do with the feelings he stirred in her—feelings she wasn’t ready for yet. But she knew it would hurt him if she turned the offer down, and she had to start acting more like a normal person. One who wasn’t terrified to let herself feel.

“All right,” she finally said. “That would be nice. Thank you.”

She only hoped she’d still think that once she got in the car.

* * * *

Kyla only mentioned the name of the road and a cottage, and Gage knew exactly the place she meant. This really was a small town. She spent a little too long worrying about how easy it was to figure out where she lived before she put it out of her mind—she refused to live the rest of her life in fear.

“So, um…Gage,” she said when they turned off the main road. “Can I ask you about something?”

“Go for it.”

She cleared her throat. “Jenny.”

“That’s a question?” He smirked and shook his head slightly. “Fair enough. I’d wonder about me too, if I were in your shoes.” His fingers drummed once on the wheel. “The thing is, she set me up.”

“What?”

“It’s my own fault.” His features tightened, and he stared straight ahead without expression. “Her and Dean have been together for years. I should’ve been suspicious when she told me she dumped him, but I didn’t want to see it. She asked me out tonight, and I said yes.”

Kyla frowned. “So she knew Dean and his…friends would be there?”

“They planned it that way. She told me as much.” He clenched his jaw visibly. “They wanted to make sure my brothers weren’t around.”

“But why?” Her nerves wanted to flutter again, and she forced herself to calm down. She was determined not to judge anyone by what other people said about them—even if it scared her. “You said Dean is a cop. Why does he hate you so much?”

Gage sighed. “The hate goes way back,” he said. “And trust me, it’s mutual. We went to high school together…well, we were there at the same time. That’s when it started.”

“What happened?”

The instant she said it, she wanted to take it back. What was she doing, prying into this man’s life? He’d offered to give her a ride home, and here she was grilling him about his childhood. She should’ve just talked about the weather or something.