slightly impressed. Alejandro was sure they hadn't pegged Ali for the pistol-packing type. "All right, Annie Oakley," he lectured. "Do not do that again. You pull a gun on guys like that you'll get yourself killed."
"I didn't know," Ali reminded him. "I thought they were just trespassers, not--" She stared at the men around her and fell silent.
"It's all right, Baby," he murmured. Eyebrows went up again all around the room at the endearment, and he ignored their curious stares as he kissed her. "You wait right here. We're going to be talking awhile. Watch TV, get comfortable. There's beer in the fridge if you want it."
Ali nodded shyly and the men filed into the back room. When they closed the door behind her and she was alone, the reality of what she was involved in hit her for the first time. Is this what it's going to be like--constantly looking over my shoulder? Worrying that everyone I see is out to do me harm? All I've done is trade one work-obsessed man for another, only this work is dangerous. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to calm the jitters that had plagued her since she saw the black car. What am I really involved in here?
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Ali had shocked her business partner when she'd told her about the $30,000 donation from Travis Lathrop, but Karen looked even more startled to hear the rumble of the bikes approaching the Cloverleaf site.
"Who are these guys?" she asked above the roar of the engines.
"They're our volunteers," Ali replied proudly. "They're good guys, and they've offered to help. Free labor, right?"
Karen laughed. "When you said 'volunteers' I was thinking, you know, maybe some Eagle Scouts. Where on earth did you get these fellas?" She gave them a thorough once-over: arms covered with tattoos, bodies clad in denim and leather. Luckily, it seemed more shock and curiosity than disapproval.
Ali shrugged. "One of them is an old high school friend of mine. He owes me." She cast a sideways glance at Alejandro. Behave , she'd warned him earlier that day. We're not ready to be public with this, and Karen's pretty sharp. As if she'd never said a word, he was devouring her with his eyes. Damn him.
Karen raised her eyebrows at her and Ali blushed. "Don't ask," she begged.
“Alaine Owens, I think there's a story to be told here,” Karen smirked.
“Let’s just get these guys set up,” Ali replied. “I promise, if there was something to tell, you’d already known about it.”
***
It took the guys half the time Ali expected. They worked like dogs, taking no breaks and powering through it all in record time. She was amazed at how quickly they managed to turn the barren front grounds into an inviting space. Karen was delighted, and Ali was relieved that she didn't seem offended at Pitbull's shameless attempts to get her phone number. Not for the first time, she realized what a gem she had in Karen.
"Those guys were great, Ali," her partner mused later as they went over the schedule for opening week. "Bring them back any time."
"I don't know how much of them we'll be seeing in the future," Ali demurred. "It's kind of a one-shot deal."
Karen snorted. "You can call it anything you like, but I saw the way that Alejandro looked at you."
Ali blushed to her roots and tried to shrug it off. "He's an old flame. A very, very old flame."
"Does Bobby know about this old flame? In fact, where is Bobby today? I expected to see him here, using this as a publicity shot."
And there it was, the question of the day. "Um... he had something else more pressing," she lied.
Inside she panicked. Just how much longer can I put people off about Bobby? How long should I keep on lying? And at what cost?
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Olivia Hamilton was the first parent to withdraw her child from riding lessons at Ali’s ranch. She left a breezy voicemail for Ali just twenty minutes before Callie's lesson saying
"I didn't know," Ali reminded him. "I thought they were just trespassers, not--" She stared at the men around her and fell silent.
"It's all right, Baby," he murmured. Eyebrows went up again all around the room at the endearment, and he ignored their curious stares as he kissed her. "You wait right here. We're going to be talking awhile. Watch TV, get comfortable. There's beer in the fridge if you want it."
Ali nodded shyly and the men filed into the back room. When they closed the door behind her and she was alone, the reality of what she was involved in hit her for the first time. Is this what it's going to be like--constantly looking over my shoulder? Worrying that everyone I see is out to do me harm? All I've done is trade one work-obsessed man for another, only this work is dangerous. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to calm the jitters that had plagued her since she saw the black car. What am I really involved in here?
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Ali had shocked her business partner when she'd told her about the $30,000 donation from Travis Lathrop, but Karen looked even more startled to hear the rumble of the bikes approaching the Cloverleaf site.
"Who are these guys?" she asked above the roar of the engines.
"They're our volunteers," Ali replied proudly. "They're good guys, and they've offered to help. Free labor, right?"
Karen laughed. "When you said 'volunteers' I was thinking, you know, maybe some Eagle Scouts. Where on earth did you get these fellas?" She gave them a thorough once-over: arms covered with tattoos, bodies clad in denim and leather. Luckily, it seemed more shock and curiosity than disapproval.
Ali shrugged. "One of them is an old high school friend of mine. He owes me." She cast a sideways glance at Alejandro. Behave , she'd warned him earlier that day. We're not ready to be public with this, and Karen's pretty sharp. As if she'd never said a word, he was devouring her with his eyes. Damn him.
Karen raised her eyebrows at her and Ali blushed. "Don't ask," she begged.
“Alaine Owens, I think there's a story to be told here,” Karen smirked.
“Let’s just get these guys set up,” Ali replied. “I promise, if there was something to tell, you’d already known about it.”
***
It took the guys half the time Ali expected. They worked like dogs, taking no breaks and powering through it all in record time. She was amazed at how quickly they managed to turn the barren front grounds into an inviting space. Karen was delighted, and Ali was relieved that she didn't seem offended at Pitbull's shameless attempts to get her phone number. Not for the first time, she realized what a gem she had in Karen.
"Those guys were great, Ali," her partner mused later as they went over the schedule for opening week. "Bring them back any time."
"I don't know how much of them we'll be seeing in the future," Ali demurred. "It's kind of a one-shot deal."
Karen snorted. "You can call it anything you like, but I saw the way that Alejandro looked at you."
Ali blushed to her roots and tried to shrug it off. "He's an old flame. A very, very old flame."
"Does Bobby know about this old flame? In fact, where is Bobby today? I expected to see him here, using this as a publicity shot."
And there it was, the question of the day. "Um... he had something else more pressing," she lied.
Inside she panicked. Just how much longer can I put people off about Bobby? How long should I keep on lying? And at what cost?
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Olivia Hamilton was the first parent to withdraw her child from riding lessons at Ali’s ranch. She left a breezy voicemail for Ali just twenty minutes before Callie's lesson saying
Similar Books
