Holly pulled her car into the parking lot in front of Caleb’s office. It was located at the end of Main Street, close to Stella’s, but she’d only made it past the front door once, and that was when Caleb had been guarding her. In the year Caleb had been in town, she’d never been sick enough to come into the tiny clinic. The one cold she’d come down with had been dealt with in Caleb’s ruthlessly precise fashion. She’d sniffled at the café one morning and found herself at home in bed with a neti pot, chicken soup, and a ton of orange juice. She hadn’t even felt that bad.

And yet it was a sweet memory.

She got out and closed the door to her tiny piece-of-crap vehicle. She was lucky she’d been able to afford the sucker, but sometimes it made her depressed. The same way Caleb did.

What was she doing? She was about to walk into Caleb’s office and take a blood test to prove she was a healthy sex partner to a twenty-eight-year-old god of a man.

She opened the door to his small clinic. It didn’t even have a nameplate, just a simple red cross and stenciled black letters proclaiming it to be Bliss County Clinic.

Caleb had done a lot for her. She hadn’t even thought to get him a nameplate. He wouldn’t think to buy one. He never thought about things like that, but he did think to make sure she was safe. Unfortunately, he didn’t want her the way she wanted him. Did that mean she didn’t owe him? He’d been a good, if odd, friend to her. She hadn’t been the same to him.

Holly stood in the small, Spartan waiting room. She could hear Caleb talking.

“I’ll have the blood tests back in a few weeks.”

“Weeks?”

Her whole body went on alert. Alexei’s voice sounded slightly strangled.

“These things take time.”

No, they didn’t. Caleb often drove into Alamosa and had results the same day.

“I understanding. I, uhm, I do not, uhm, well, thanks to you.” Yep, Alexei sounded distressed. “Please to let me know when it is safe to be close to Holly. I care for her. I would not be harming her, not for anything.”

There was a long pause. “Okay. Like I said, I’ll let you know.”

The door to the exam room opened, and Alexei walked out. She stared, studying him for a moment before he realized he wasn’t alone. He looked older, more weary than he had the night before. Worry creased his brow and turned that sensual mouth down. His shoulders slumped as he shut the door behind him.

And then it all changed when he saw her. A vibrant smile crossed his face. His body straightened to his impressive six and a half feet, and his entire air took on a sexy, sultry tone. “Holly. It is very good to see you. You look heated today.”

Hot. She looked hot. She was starting to hope his English didn’t get better. He was adorable when he was screwing it up. “Thanks.”

She stood there, not quite knowing what to do. She hadn’t dated in forever. Were they dating? Or merely waiting to have sex?

“I have to go to talk to man about job, but would you like to have dinner tonight?”

She actually felt her heart flutter. He was so gorgeous, and he was looking at her like he could eat her up. If they had been alone, she might have suggested that dinner started early and wouldn’t he like a piece of Holly pie? Damn it. He had her hormones turned up so high she could barely think when he was around.

But then Caleb walked into the room, his green eyes solemn as he took in the scene in front of him. He stared for the briefest moment before his eyes found the floor. “Uhm, Holly, I’m ready whenever you are.”

She nodded, and he backed into the exam room again.

She needed to figure out a way to be right with Caleb. Her heart ached when she looked at him, but Alexei made her feel young and vital. And Alexei wanted her.

“Caleb is stubborn man, dushka. If he did not save both lives, I seriously consider coming out of retirement to murder him.” Alexei frowned, staring back at the door.

“Oh, god, what did he do?”

“All I know is Russian doctors are not so thorough. A man’s backside is sacred in Russia. I tell you, if he tries in bedroom, I will deal with him.”

“Huh?” Yeah, maybe she should rethink how adorable his English was.

He reached out and took her hand. “Nothing. Nothing to worry about. I am patient man. Very patient. And tolerant. And no longer violent. So, dinner?”

At least she understood that. “Yes. I would love to have dinner with you. I get off at six. We could have dinner at Stella’s if you like.”

He shook his head. “No. Not where you work. Let’s go to Trio and have nice drink and dance. After I get job, I take you to someplace very nice.”

She loved how his hand squeezed hers. “I’m fine going anywhere. There aren’t a lot of choices in Bliss.”

“When I get job and make the monies, I take you wherever you like to go. But, for tonight, it must be Trio.” He brought her hand to his lips, the sensation making her tingle all over. “Now, I must find this place called Roger’s Garage. How long will it take me to get there?”

“Long-Haired Roger’s place? He’s about two miles north of the Feed Store Church, right next to Polly’s Cut and Curl. You can’t miss it. Polly has a huge pink neon sign with kissing lips on it. It’ll take you ten minutes or so by car.”

“Car is one of things I must get.”

She reached for her keys. “Take mine. I’m going to work straight after this. I don’t need it again until I get off. Do what you need to do and then drop it off at Stella’s. I have to warn you, it’s kind of small.”

His smile brightened everything around him. He took the keys and leaned over, kissing her lips. “So many thanks to you, dushka. It makes up for the doctor. Be careful. His hand is much bigger than it look. If I could spare you, I would.” He brought her fingers to his lips again. “Tonight.”

The word held such promise. She was pretty sure the room lost some temperature as Alexei walked out the door.

And now she had to find a way to deal with Caleb.

She decided on a friendly but no-nonsense approach. He was behaving like a protective older brother. She marched right into his exam room. “Why is it going to take weeks to get the blood work back? I happen to know that the hospital in Alamosa will process your samples in a few hours.”

His gold and red head didn’t move from the chart he was studying. “They do that as a favor to me. I’m not going to call in a favor so Alexei can get some.”

She gritted her teeth. “What do you have against Alexei?”

“Well, he’s a mobster for one thing.” The words came out in a disgruntled huff. He marked the chart, his pen moving across the pages in tense lines.

She thought that was part of the problem. Caleb didn’t deal well with violence. “Ex-mobster. And he was only in the mob because he was seeking revenge on the man who killed his brother. I’ve read all the stories about him. He didn’t kill anyone who was innocent. He only ever killed other mobsters. You don’t have a problem with Nate and Zane. They basically did the same thing when they were undercover with the DEA.”

“Nate and Zane were in law enforcement. They had badges.” His tone had gone to a sullen, dark place. His green eyes had deepened as though he was talking about something sacred. “Alexei’s a violent man. He’s a brutal man, Holly.”

“Was. People change.”

Caleb leaned against the counter, assessing her as though trying to figure out the best way to give her bad news. “No, they don’t. They don’t change. When the chips are down, he’ll go right back to what he knows best because no one truly changes.”

“Really? I know I did. I changed for the worse. At least Alexei changed for the better.”

“What are you talking about?” It was the first time since she’d walked in the room that he hadn’t sounded sure of himself.

She wished she hadn’t opened the line of conversation, but now that she had, she was going to move forward with it. She and Caleb were going to hash this out, and they would either be friends or nothing at all. “I changed after my divorce. Although when I think about it, I suppose it was sometime during the actual marriage that I changed. I couldn’t pinpoint the date. It wasn’t one specific incident, just a whole bunch of small cuts and bruises on my soul.”

His eyes hooded, and he went very still. “Inflicted by your husband?”

She laced her fingers together. Sometimes, even years and years later, the memories were fresh. “And his family. They didn’t want Scott to marry me. Scott and I met in college. I was there on a scholarship. He was there because his father had built a wing of the school. It was a ritzy private school. I was the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, and Scott was going through a rebellious stage. We met my sophomore year, his senior. We moved in together pretty quickly. Scott went on to law school, and I dropped out to go with him. I was a stupid girl. I thought I was helping him. Anyway, before he graduated, I got pregnant with Micky, and we got married over his family’s very vocal objections.”

“What didn’t they like about you?” The question had a nasty edge to it, but she didn’t think it was pointed at her.

She could still hear her ex-mother-in-law’s voice explaining all the things that were wrong with her. She was too fat. She was too stupid. She wasn’t well-bred. And Maureen Lang hadn’t merely told Holly that. Maureen liked to tell all of her friends, seeking sympathy for the horror of her oldest child’s marital disaster. “Pretty much everything. I wasn’t cultured enough. I wasn’t polished. I wasn’t a proper political wife. But Scott didn’t want to go into politics at the time. He wanted to open a quiet practice. He was so happy when Micky was born.”

“He changed his tune. He’s a congressman, isn’t he?”

Oh, he was also a rat-fink bastard, but he never let anyone forget that he was a congressman. “Yes. About a year after Micky was born, things started to change. Scott got tired of rebelling, and his father convinced him to move back into the family mansion and run for office. They never stopped putting me down, never let up for an instant. And I changed. I became the kind of woman who pretended her husband wasn’t cheating. I became the kind of woman who stopped dreaming. I hated myself. I became the kind of woman who lost her child.”

She blinked back tears, but moved on. “Micky was my life. I withered without him, and I don’t think I’ve had a moment where I felt like that girl in college again. I want to. I want to feel like there’s something out in the world for me, Caleb. I thought that might be you, but you don’t want me that way. I don’t know if Alexei is the man who pulls me out of this lonely place I’ve been in for years, but I’m ready to find out. I’m ready to take a chance. I’m ready to change. So don’t tell me people can’t change. I need to believe they can.”

Caleb was silent for a moment, for so long she worried she’d offended him in some way. She was about to apologize for opening up, for exposing so much of herself to him, when he finally sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair.

“When I get the test results, I’ll call you.” He turned back to his file. “Don’t worry about it. I won’t bug him again. And you can go.”

Now she was really worried she’d offended him. He’d dismissed her utterly, his walls coming up in an instant when she’d hoped they might come down. A burst of anger threatened to explode. She felt her fists clench.

“Are you telling me you won’t do the exam now? You won’t even be my doctor?” She had to check the tears that threatened. She was sure her whole face had gone bright red. She’d never been able to control her emotions, one more flaw in Maureen’s book.

His head came up, utter confusion sparking his face. “I didn’t say that. I don’t think you need it. Holly, I’ve run every test on your blood I could run. I did a workup on you when you had that cold a few months back.”

“Yes, that seemed like overkill.” She’d had the sniffles, and he’d insisted on blood work.

He took a deep breath and set the folder aside. “I’m thorough. I…I wanted to make sure you were okay. There’s this old saying in the medical profession. When you hear horses, don’t look for zebras. It’s basically a way of telling doctors to accept that a cold is more than likely only a cold. The cold is the horse. Something rarer, like Streptococcus pyogenes, would be a zebra. But sometimes zebras can bite you in the ass. I was making sure your cold wasn’t something more.”

She felt her eyes go wide. “Wow, you’re as crazy as the rest of us, aren’t you?”

A suspicious shade of red stole across his handsome features. “I’m surprised it took you so long to notice.”

“So I suppose I’m clean?” She’d been sure of that. One had to have sex to get a sexually transmitted disease. It had been a long, long time for her. But it seemed unfair that Alexei was the only one who had to get checked out.

“You’re perfect.” He swallowed again and turned back around.

And that was her cue to leave. So why couldn’t she? What the hell was it about this man that called to her? And why did she keep trying? “Caleb, why are you so nice to me when you aren’t interested in me physically?”

She needed to understand. She’d been out of the game so long—out of life so long, really—that she wanted to know how and why she’d misread him so terribly.

His eyes came up, and they were harder than before. “You think I don’t want you? Not want you? How can you say I don’t want you?”

Frustration threatened to boil over. And anger. She was getting angry, too. “Don’t play with me. We’ve done this dance for almost a solid year, and I’m tired of it.”

“You’re tired of it?” The exam table was between them, and suddenly she was happy for it because Caleb looked predatory. “You’re tired of it? I haven’t had sex in a year because of you.”

“Well, I certainly wasn’t stopping you.” Actually she’d sort of encouraged him.

His head cocked slightly to one side. She’d been around him long enough to know that slight movement of his head was a sign he was getting angry. “Oh, yes, you did. I couldn’t think about sleeping with another woman because the fucking one I wanted was you. Is you.”

“I don’t understand. I’ve practically thrown myself at you. I asked you if you wanted to sleep with me. You said no.” She’d asked him the first night he’d spent on her couch. Oh, she’d pretended it was about comfort, but she’d hoped that once he was in bed, he would turn to her. She’d wanted to hold him, to know him, to comfort him because he seemed to need it so desperately.

Those sensual lips she loved turned slightly cruel. “I told you I didn’t want to sleep with you, and I meant it. I didn’t say I wouldn’t appreciate a fuck.”

Well, that said it all. Tears blurring her eyes, she turned and started for the door. It was obvious he didn’t want a friendship. He didn’t want anything at all if he could talk to her like that. She wouldn’t be treated like a whore again. Not by anyone.

A strong arm snaked around her waist, and she was hauled back against a perfectly hard body. Caleb’s body. She could feel his breath against her neck.

“Don’t go. Not like this.”

The feel of his body against hers was bittersweet. She’d waited so long, and it was only when she was leaving that he thought to hold her. “Caleb, let me go. I’ll leave you alone. I promise. I never meant to bother you.”

The words tumbled out of his mouth like a waterfall that had been dammed up and finally, finally set free. “And I never meant to hurt you, baby. God, I never meant to hurt you. It’s the last thing I want to do. I want you so badly, but I can’t get into a relationship. I’m not cut out for it. I would hurt you in the end. Can you understand that?”

Not really, but she had to accept it. “Sure.”

He groaned. “Holly, you’re the first woman I’ve wanted since my wife died.”

“You expect me to believe you haven’t had sex in six years?”

“No. I was like Alexei. Not hookers exactly, but women who didn’t expect emotion from me. I couldn’t do that to you. You’re not like that, so I’ve kept my hands to myself because I couldn’t offer you anything but sex.”

But his hands weren’t to himself now. They were restless on her skin. The heat of his body was seeping into her own. “I can’t believe that of you. You’re not unfeeling.”

“Maybe.” His head rested against her shoulder. He didn’t seem willing to let go now that he’d finally touched her. “But I’m unwilling to really try. I’m sorry. I wish I could be the man you need. I wish I could beg you not to go out with that Russian bastard, to pick me, but that would be unfair.”

And she wasn’t sure she could do it. Now that Alexei was back, she was nervous about seeing him, but she was pretty sure she would regret it the rest of her life if she didn’t try with him. And yet the thought that this was the end with Caleb tore her heart up. How had she fallen for two men?

Stupid question. She’d fallen for two men because she’d thought she might be able to have it all. Like Rachel and Callie and Laura. But no. She would have to choose, and either way she went, she would ache with it for the rest of her life. And, in the end, there was no real choice at all because Caleb wouldn’t try.

He turned her around, and she could see the agony in his eyes. She’d put that look there. She couldn’t stand the fact that he’d blown his precious control for her. He needed his control. She could see that now. “Caleb, I’ll be fine. Please. Don’t worry about me.”

“I think about you every minute of the day and twice as much when the sun goes down.” His words were tortured, and his mouth lowered to hers. His lips were briefly hesitant, and then he took over. His hands came up to clutch her shoulders and haul her close. His mouth closed over hers, his tongue teasing at the edges of her lips. She opened for him, and Caleb invaded.

He was everywhere. His tongue played against hers. One hand found her hair, and the bite of his fingers wrapping around her ponytail electrified her skin. He pulled on it, forcing her head into the position he wanted, giving his tongue full access. His other hand skimmed from her shoulder to her waist, the edge of his thumb touching the outer curve of her breast. She wanted it on her nipple, plucking and teasing before his mouth moved down to suckle.

She gave herself over to the kiss, loving the rough feel of his cheek against hers. Caleb seemed to have a perpetual five-o’clock shadow. It was bristly and masculine and made her feel soft and delicate. She sank her hands into his hair. It was so much shorter than Alexei’s but just as soft.

Alexei.

She had a date with Alexei, and she was kissing Caleb.

The phone rang as panic hit. Caleb pulled her closer, bringing her into the cradle of his thighs, rubbing his cock against her. He pressed their hips together, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wanted her. She could feel him pulling her in, bringing them closer with the touch of his skin against hers.

She was falling back in, forgetting everything but the feel of him when the phone rang again. The real world was intruding, reminding her of what he’d said before. He didn’t really want this. She forced her hands up to push him away.

“Caleb. Caleb, your phone is ringing.”

His hands tightened. “Let it ring.”

“What if it’s an emergency? What if Callie’s gone into labor?” He was the only doctor for miles. He couldn’t ignore a call, even though her pussy was begging her to rethink her position.

Caleb cursed and dropped his hands. Frustration settled over him. “Damn it. I am not a fucking obstetrician.” He took a long, deep breath and then turned away. He grabbed the phone. “What?”

He had the worst bedside manner, and he definitely needed a receptionist. She straightened her T-shirt and wondered how long it would be before she forgot how it felt to be held by him. Should she tell Alexei what had happened? What the hell was she doing?

“It’s for you,” Caleb said gruffly, shoving the phone toward her. “Apparently Rachel Harper saw you walking in here and told Stella where you are. You should have come in the back way.”

She took the phone. “Sorry. One of these days I’ll be able to afford a damn cell phone. Not that it would work here. Hello?”

After three minutes and one convoluted story involving a botched gnocchi experiment and a raccoon on the loose in the kitchen, Stella finally got around to explaining that Holly needed to pick up some supplies in Alamosa.

“Sure thing,” she said, eager to get off the phone. She hung up and then cursed. “I don’t have a car.”

“What’s wrong? Did it break down again?” Caleb stood as far away from her as he could. Only the wall behind his back seemed to keep him in the room with her.

“I loaned it to Alexei.” Alexei, who was out trying to find a job so he could take her someplace nice.

Caleb’s hand went into the pocket of his pants. She couldn’t miss the fact that he hadn’t calmed down. His cock was pressed against the material of his jeans, an obvious and very large monster. He pulled his keys out and tossed them to her. “Take mine.”

She caught the keys to his truck. “Are you sure? I’m actually not the best driver in the world.”

His hands came up, fingers splayed. “Take the truck. What happened was a mistake, but I don’t want us to fight. The last thing in the world I want is for the two of us to not talk.”

“You rarely talk.”

The right side of his mouth crinkled up in a lopsided, totally gorgeous grin. “Fine, I don’t want to not listen to you.” His face fell, and she would have done anything to put that grin back. “And I won’t stand between you and Alexei. I hope, for your sake, that he really has changed. And don’t let the hooker thing scare you. If you think about it, it really is kinder. He wasn’t ready for a relationship. His life was violent and unpredictable. It was better to pay for what he needed than to drag someone into it. Especially someone he didn’t love.”

“So we’re friends?” She would take that. It would hurt, but she would be his friend.

He nodded. “Friends. And I’ll get the tests back. I think Wolf is going into Alamosa. I’ll hop a ride with him. He’ll love driving another man’s biological samples around.”

“It’s a little blood. Somehow I think an ex-Navy SEAL can handle some blood.”

“And urine. And, well, let’s just say I was very thorough. We’ll know everything about that man’s bodily functions ASAP. Oh, and I took a hair sample to test for marijuana use.”

She couldn’t help but smile. “Somehow I doubt Alexei has been toking up.”

“I can only imagine what he’d call it.” That lopsided smile was back, and Holly couldn’t help it. She walked into his arms and hugged him.

“Thank you, Caleb.”

It took a moment for his arms to close around her, but they finally did. “If you ever need me to find a medical way to torture him, please let me know.”

She nodded. “I promise. And I’ll bring your truck back.”

She walked out of the office with tears blurring her eyes. Her head was down as she walked out the door, and she almost ran into a man.

“Sorry,” she muttered as she sidestepped the man.

“No problem,” the man mumbled, and looked away, walking down the sidewalk with a quick cadence.

Great. Now she was offending tourists. With a long sigh, she trudged across the parking lot to Caleb’s black truck. It was a huge monster, and she had to haul herself into the cab and adjust the seat as far as it would go forward.

The long drive toward Alamosa loomed. She turned east onto 160 and started the drive. Caleb’s radio was tuned to a sports channel. She flicked it off because she had enough voices in her head.

She was a mass of confusion. Excitement at the prospect of being with Alexei. Disappointment that Caleb wouldn’t be with them. That was what she’d wanted deep down. She forced herself to acknowledge the fact. She’d dreamed of finding what the others had found, of being the center of a happy threesome. She’d fantasized about being between Caleb and Alexei, their big bodies surrounding and protecting her, their hearts loving her and accepting her love back.

She’d bottled it up for so long. She’d shut her heart away because no one seemed to want it. Talking to Caleb had reopened some wounds she’d hoped had long since healed, but then maybe she would never heal from the way her first husband had treated her.

First? Scott would probably be her only husband. She was forty years old, the oldest of all her friends, and the only one unattached. Perhaps that part of her life had passed her by, and all she could hope for was a brief, hot affair with a younger man. There weren’t many prospects in Bliss. It was too small a town, and she worked enough that she didn’t leave Bliss often. And she wouldn’t trade the town or her friends for anything in the world.

She simply wished there was something more for her.

She sniffled and tried to get herself together. Feeling sorry for herself wasn’t going to fix a damn thing. She had a date. Just because things hadn’t worked out with Caleb didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy Alexei. She needed to guard her heart though.

And she needed to slow down. She glanced down at the speedometer as she started down one of the steeper hills. Her speed was picking up way too fast. She was used to her old car with its engine that never seemed quite ready to pick up speed. Even when going downhill, it still sputtered and shook like it didn’t want to put forth the effort. Not so with Caleb’s shiny new four-wheel-drive truck. It was perfectly happy to allow gravity to increase its forward momentum. It hit eighty with no trouble at all, and the needle kept rising.

Holly put a foot down on the brake. She’d lived in the mountains long enough to know not to shove her foot to the floor or the brakes could overheat. She also knew not to ride them, keeping her foot on the brake over a long period of time, though instinct always told her to do so. A strategic application of pressure would drop her speed and then she would allow it to build back up.

Nothing. They didn’t respond at all. Now she was up to ninety and a curve was coming up. She took a deep breath as she passed Mel’s cabin at a breakneck speed.

She tried again. Maybe the truck worked a bit differently than her car, and it required more pressure.

Her foot went all the way to the floor, the pedal flopping back with all the strength of an overcooked noodle.

Panic started to set in. The Harper Ranch came and went. The speedometer kept climbing. How fast could the truck go?

She tried again, though she realized there was nothing she could do. The brakes were gone.

Forcing herself to stay calm, she thought about the road. Two more turns and she would be off the mountain and into the valley, where the road was flat and she could see for miles. She could figure out something to do then.

Or she could put the car in a lower gear now. It risked ruining the engine, but it might slow the truck down so she could take the curves.

But it was Caleb’s truck. And Caleb would rather have her safe than have his truck. He might not be willing to risk a relationship with her, but she wasn’t so foolish that she believed he cared about his truck more than her life.

She would have to find a way to make it up to him.

Wincing at what she was about to do, she forced the gear shift into the slot labeled 1. The whole truck shook, and it took everything she had to control it. The S curve was coming up. She couldn’t possibly manage it at almost a hundred miles an hour. No way. She would go right off the road, and there was no guardrail. She would either hit the side of the mountain or she would roll off it.

Finally the truck started to slow, but only to seventy. Gravity was still at work. She had no idea what the incline was this low on the mountain, but it was still steep. And she couldn’t see around the curve.

Her heart drummed inside her chest. Her brain played through a million scenarios. She could die right here on the mountain, and she would regret so fucking much. She would regret not trying. She would regret all the years she let slip by because it was easier than fighting and losing. As the curve barreled toward her, all she knew was that nothing, nothing was more important than the fight. The outcome didn’t matter. She could lose everything, and it would have been worth it to fight for what she needed.

Why did she only figure that out when death was staring her down?

And why the fuck was she giving up again?

The emergency brake. It was a long shot. She would probably still lose control, but it was all she had.

She pushed the brake in. Exactly like its sister, it went straight to the floor.

And then she saw the sign for the TER. Truck escape ramp. She tightened her hands on the steering wheel. She had to hold on. The TER had only been in place for a few months, and it was meant to slow down eighteen-wheelers that were out of control, but maybe it would work for her, too. The long offshoot of gravel would surely slow her down some. It had to.

At least it gave her a place to go before she hit that curve.

She hit the TER going almost eighty. Between the thick gravel and the level ground of the ramp, she immediately felt the truck begin to ease down.

By the time she’d reached half the distance of the TER, she’d slowed the truck to the point that she was sure she would survive. She rolled gently along until she hit the rail with a thud.

She put her head in her hands and finally cried, happy to be alive and to have another shot at almost everything.

 

* * * *

 

Alexei took the only seat available in the small office off the garage. The whole place smelled of motor oil, but that didn’t bother him. He liked the cozy work space. But the chair needed some work. It hadn’t been made for a large man. He wiggled, testing the sturdiness. It didn’t feel like it would fall apart. He hoped not. It wouldn’t do him a ton of good to break office furniture during his interview.

Roger, who was indeed bald, had pictures of himself and his wife, Liz Two, that showed off his formerly long, flowing hair. He took the seat behind the desk. “So you’re that fellow who nearly blew up Bliss?”

His reputation was not exactly sterling. And thanks to the news reports, everyone knew his story. “Oh, no, no blowing up. I did not set single charge while in Bliss. I merely shoot many peoples.”

Long-Haired Roger’s eyes went wide, and he leaned forward. “Many?”

And he wasn’t helping his reputation along at all. “Well, not too many. Four or five, perhaps. And all of them were very bad peoples. They took over sheriff’s department and were going to kill women. I could not allow them to kill women.”

In all his time in the mob, he’d never hurt a woman. He’d never struck one in anger or in anything but an erotic fashion. He’d met several women who enjoyed spanking, and he liked it, too, but he’d never treated a single woman with any less respect than he would demand for himself. It had hurt him in his rise in the organization, but there had been things even he could not do for revenge. In the end, his inability to harm a woman had cost him his revenge and helped him regain his soul.

“I’d heard that you saved a bunch of women. And Logan Green, too, though I doubt he thanks you for it.”

The deputy was one of the men he owed in this town. Logan Green had taken a beating that almost killed him, and Alexei had been forced to allow it in order to save them all. He’d been outnumbered and outgunned and he’d hated it, but he would sacrifice the young man again if it meant saving Holly and Jennifer. He was going to have to find a way to deal with Logan if he was going to live in this town.

“I am sorry for what happen to deputy. I could not help him without giving myself away, and then we would all be dead.” It was a lame excuse. Sometimes at night he came up with a hundred scenarios in which he spared Logan Green from his fate, but at the time he’d gone with the safest course of action.

“That would have been much worse. I don’t know what poor Teeny would do without her boy. She and Marie dote on him. He’ll be fine. He’s got two mommas to look after him. You know, everyone in these parts talked about how you let yourself get all shot up to save Holly. Holly’s a sweet girl, and she’s the best waitress in the county. The sheriff speaks highly of you, too,” Long-Haired Roger said. “I like Nate Wright, even though he’s a cranky son of a bitch. He says you saved Callie and Jen, so you’re all right with me.”

He tried to relax. Maybe this would go better than he’d expected. He was surprised to find himself nervous. He hadn’t been thinking about finding a legitimate job all those years before when he’d thrown away the majority of his youth to pursue revenge. Now he had to pay for all the years he should have been in college or starting a career. He had to find a way to make a living in the legitimate world.

“Gene tell me you are looking for good worker.” Perhaps once he got settled in, he would find some training school and learn a trade that went beyond racketeering and assassinations.

Long-Haired Roger’s bald head nodded. “Yep. I need a new mechanic because my last guy ran off to join the pro-wrestling circuit. I don’t think that’s going to work out for him, but he wouldn’t listen to me. You don’t happen to watch wrestling, do you?”

Roger asked the question with a serious look on his face, as though the answer to the question would affect Alexei’s ability to be hired. He decided to go with honesty. “No.”

He preferred hockey. One day he would sit in his own home with a big-screen television and watch hockey games with his friends. And Holly. Hopefully she liked hockey because he didn’t think he would allow her out of his lap once he had her there.

Long-Haired Roger sat back, seemingly satisfied with his answer. “Good. Because I don’t need to lose another mechanic to that. Now, do you have experience with cars?”

His brother had taught him much about cars. Mikhail had been forced to learn how to fix his car because they couldn’t afford a mechanic. His brother had been armed with only a how-to book and their father’s tool kit. After Mikhail had been killed, Alexei had found working on cars to be soothing.

“I am self-taught, but I know what I am doing,” Alexei explained. “I will take whatever test you like.”

“Do you know about brakes?”

He spoke without thinking, the words rolling from his mouth. He’d spent so many years hiding his true feelings that now he often said far too much. “Oh, yes. I have worked with many brake systems. I know how to cut brake lines of many different types of vehicles. And I was forced to learn how to blow up many mobsters’ vehicles. I always studied the different models to know where to place bomb.”

Long-Haired Roger’s eyes got really wide, and he sat back up straight again. “What?”

Alexei pushed on. He wasn’t going to hide his past. Honesty was what worked in America. “It is very important to know how to blow up car and only take out intended target. I was best in Russia. Ten cars blown and not a single innocent victim.”

“You blew up cars without anyone in them?”

Alexei shook his head. “Nyet. No innocent victims. I did, however, manage to take out some of worst criminals in Russia. Luckily they had pissed off my boss, and that gave me shot at taking them out. They were drug pushers and slave traders. There are many slave traders in Europe and Asia. They look to sell womens to brothels. These womens do not want to go to brothels.”

“I can see why not. That sounds like something out of television. And you blew up these fellows’ vehicles?”

“Yes, it is best way to take out a person if you do not wish to shoot them. Shooting can get messy, and sometimes people need a bigger demonstration to make them believe you will do what it takes. An exploding car will get many people’s attention. But I am careful and always use a device I can control because I do not want the ignition to be turned by innocent person and then they get killed. Only bad person. My partner make fun of me for spending many nights hiding in bushes waiting for my target, but I say it is better to have bad back than bad soul.”

Long-Haired Roger’s fingers drummed nervously on his desk. “Uhm, I can see you were a very thoughtful assassin. What does your partner think about you now that you’ve come to the States?”

Ivan had always thought Alexei was an idiot, but then Ivan had been a hard-boiled killer. Ivan had never been his friend. “He does not think at all. He was one of the peoples I killed to save womens of Bliss.”

“Okay, then.” Long-Haired Roger’s face took on a pained expression. “I think you might be overqualified for this job. I really think you should look for something bigger.”

Alexei sat forward. “Oh, no. I like small business. I work very hard.”

“I…I just don’t think you have quite the level of experience I was looking for. Sorry. I really hope you don’t blow up my car.”

Alexei left with a heavy heart and the sad knowledge that his job hunt was not going to go well.