On Thursday, Jill sat on one of the stools at Howler's Bar and Grill, nursing a long neck. Even though she should have hated the old tavern considering what happened outside, Howlers held too many good memories for her to write it off. Besides, you couldn't beat ladies' night and dollar beers.
Greer sat next to her, playing with the label of her bottle. Something was on Greer's mind since girl's night had been her idea. They'd already grabbed dinner at Moonlight Bay Restaurant and Bakery, and yet, Greer still hadn't come clean. She'd talk eventually, but patience was not Jill's strong suit.
"So, what's got you all twisted?" Jill asked.
Greer stopped torturing her beer's label and turned to face her. "I'm a horrible person."
Jill wanted to laugh but managed to reign in her amusement. One of the best people Jill knew, Greer put up with Jill's antics growing up and stuck by her through everything. Jill had met terrible people in her lifetime, so she could spot a loser a mile away.
"I doubt that, but humor me. Why are you horrible?"
The music from the band blared through the speakers above their heads, but Greer leaned closer. Jill followed her lead and listened as Greer spoke loud enough to be heard above the noise.
"Someone hired Pax and Dakota to kill Xander's family."
Jill stilled, terror lacing through her at the mention of Pax's name. She took a deep, soothing breath, reminding herself silently that Pax was dead, killed by his lover, Dakota. Pax had been the bastard who'd turned Jill, but before he'd come to Twilight, Pax had led a pack of rogue shifters who had slaughtered Xander's family. Xander came to town to get his revenge on the people who had murdered everyone he loved and met Greer along the way.
The weight of Greer's words sunk in and Jill cleared her throat. "I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Xander doesn't know."
Greer shook her head. "At first, I was so wrapped up in my own shit that I didn't want to talk to him. Once we reconciled though, I feared if I told him..."
"He'd become Mr. Vengeance again?" Jill finished for her.
"Exactly."
Jill set her beer down and turned in her seat. She took Greer's hands in hers and met her gaze.
"Brutal honesty?"
Greer sighed, visibly bracing herself. "If you must."
"Okay, here goes." Jill squeezed her best friend's hands and said, "This is not about you. You have to tell Xander that there is someone else responsible for his parent's death and give him the choice. Whether he can let go of his revenge and stay with you or if he has to finish it, you cannot keep this from him. If you do and he finds out, it will poison any life you two build."
Greer's lashes glistened and a single tear rolled down her right cheek. "I know. I'm just so afraid he'll go, and get himself killed."
Jill wiped at the tears that were now running down her friend's face. "Stop crying over what ifs and maybes. Finish your beer, go home to your love, and make things right."
"You're right. I'll tell him tonight." Greer wiped her eyes with the long sleeve of her sweatshirt. She sniffed as she picked up her beer and took a long pull. She set her bottle on the countertop and met Jill's gaze once more. "Speaking of love, how is Dereck doing?"
Jill shrugged. "His mom called on her way out of town yesterday and said he was all healed up."
"You haven't been by to see him?"
Jill could tell by Greer's tone she was surprised, but why would Jill go see him? She'd saved his life and the ungrateful ass had called her an idiot.
He could go straight to hell without passing go, as far as she was concerned.
"Nope, and I don't plan on it. Douchewad can suck it."
"Um, speaking of douchewad..." Greer trailed off and Jill knew without turning that Dereck had walked in. She hated that she could pick out his scent from the many in the crowd or that the thump of her heart pumped double time.
Traitorous body. She needed to find someone else to nail and get him out of her system. It blew wanting what she couldn't have.
She swung her stool around in time to watch Xander lean over Greer and plant a kiss so hot, steam practically radiated off them.
To his left stood Dereck, his hands in his pockets and his mud brown eyes shuttered. He wore a slate gray tee with no jacket and weathered jeans.
He was absolutely delicious and she hated it.
Greer finally broke the kiss, her generous chest rising rapidly. "What are you doing here?"
He tenderly caressed her cheek. "I missed you and thought you might want to ride home with me."
"You just saw me a few hours ago."
"Are you saying that you didn't miss me?" He pouted, as though she had hurt his feelings.
Jill pretended to dry heave.
“Of course, I missed you,” Greer purred.
"Okay, you two are so cute, it's nauseating. I'm going to find someone...I mean, something to pass the time. You got her, Xand?"
“Yeah, I got her,” Xander replied.
“Awesome! Later, bitches!” Jill hopped off the stool and brushed by Dereck without greeting him. As far as her crush on Dereck, she was over the big, dumb jerk.
"I love you," Greer called.
Jill flashed her the sign for I love you in ASL but didn't turn around. Not because she didn’t want to say good-bye to Greer, but she didn’t want to look at Dereck again. She needed to be strong.
She headed for the back of the bar where the three pool tables were set up in an even line. The walls were covered in paintings of wolves, and a few lighted beer signs. She almost made it to the side of a tall cowboy with his back to her, when someone grabbed her arm. She knew Dereck held her before he spoke a word. No one else's touch ever made gooseflesh to rise all over her body.
Dereck gently turned her to face him. "Can we talk?"
She didn't meet his gaze because although her mind was on board with forgetting Dereck, the rest of her body still ached for him, and her eyes were the windows to her weakness.
"About what?"
"My mom filled me in on what I said, and I wanted to apologize."
“You mom filled you in? Like, you don’t remember?”
“I didn’t, but I feel terrible.”
Jill pulled her wrist out of his grip and then crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yeah, you can apologize."
Dereck chuckled. "I'm sorry I called you an idiot."
"Idiot woman actually, but it's fine. I've been called worse."
"Thanks for being so magnanimous about it," he said.
"You're welcome." She looked up at him and wished she hadn't. Damn those sexy eyes. His tantalizing smile. His wide, strong shoulders that could so easily carry her off to his bedroom...
No, no, I need to get back on track. "How's the gut healing?"
He rubbed his abdomen over his t-shirt and her gaze drifted down involuntarily, watching for any glimpse of skin. She'd seen Dereck naked before. Shifters weren't known for their modesty, but the last time, when he'd been so horribly injured, it seemed pervy to notice his body.
Since she wasn't perfect, Jill still snuck a peek. Everything Dereck had going on was chiseled and his business met all qualifications for above average.
I am so going to hell.
"My gut is good, thanks for asking. A little sore when I bend over, but overall, I'm happy to be alive."
"Thanks to me."
Jill heard the low rumble in his chest, a telltale growl. By the narrowing of his eyes, it was clear she'd irritated him. Although he had never come right out and said it, Dereck acted annoyed when women challenged him, weird considering his mom was a dynamo. Maybe it was a male werewolf thing.
"You're never going to let this go, are you?" he asked.
She pretended to think about it before revealing a sheepish grin. "The fact that I'm a freaking hero who saved your bacon? Nope, not a chance."
He released a sigh that held a whole lot of resignation. "Well, then, can I buy my freaking hero another beer?"
A zing of excitement shot from Jill's belly clear down to her toes. Dereck was offering to buy her a beer, and be in her company. Sure, it was a beer of gratitude, but she would take it.
"That would be great, thanks."
He flashed her a grin. "Be right back. Don't go anywhere."
Jill watched him head to the bar and lean over. His shirt rode up in the back, exposing his jeans pulled tight over his ass.
It was such a beautiful sight.
Jill realized that she'd been staring for too long when he glanced at her over his shoulder, and gave her a little wave.
She turned away and searched the bar for any familiar faces, her cheeks burning. Any other guy, she’d have played it off like, hell yeah, I was checking you out. But not Dereck. With him, she was as awkward as a thirteen-year-old with her first crush.
Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. The skin between her shoulders crawled. The cat inside her stirred beneath the skin, sensing something dark and possibly dangerous.
That's when she noticed a man leaning against the wall in the corner. Although shadows shrouded his face, she sensed he was watching her. She walked around the cowboy at the pool table, trying to get a closer look at the man. Something about him seemed eerily familiar, and she discreetly sniffed the air, trying to locate the rancid smell from the hunter in the woods, but nothing she could pinpoint indicated he was the same man.
A couple coming off the dance floor stepped right in her path and she impatiently said, "Excuse me." By the time she got around them, the man was gone. She scanned the crowd, but she hadn't gotten a good look at him, just the shape. A sense of foreboding.
Dereck stepped up next to her, making her jump when he said, "Hey, there you are. Told you to stay put."
"Don't you know I don't take orders well?" She took the beer he held out, her hand shaking. "Thanks."
His forehead scrunched up. "You okay?"
"Yeah, sure, I just...I thought I saw someone I knew."
"Scary ex-boyfriend?" Dereck's tone alluded he was kidding, but he still watched her with concern.
Shaking off the willies, she laughed. "One of the many."
"Not what a guy wants to hear," he quipped.
Jill paused with her long neck halfway to her mouth. "Why would you care?"
He seemed startled by the question. "What?"
She was cool with the way things were between them. At least she'd understood there was no chance. But him flirting with her out of the blue was unsettling, to say the least. "You've made it clear you're not interested in me, so why would you care how many boyfriends I've had?"
Dereck's expression darkened. "Are you a mind reader? Cause I don't remember coming out and telling you I wasn't interested."
Jill's hackles rose at his dismissiveness. "Don't fuck with me."
"What? I'm not."
"Really? You've treated me somewhere between an irritating little sister and a silly girl with a crush for the last five weeks, so unless this is some new game guys play, you're fucking with me. Or you think throwing me a bone somehow makes us even for the other day, and if that's the case, you can kiss my ass."
Dereck stood there, his jaw flapping in the wind, and she growled in disgust. She tilted the bottle back as she took several steps away from him. She drained the entire contents and slammed the glass down on a table she passed, startling the two couples around it. She walked through the front doors, and the blast of cold air helped chill some of the heat radiating from her. Jill hadn't brought a jacket tonight, even though it was eighteen degrees out and the only thing on her was her license, keys, and a credit card in her back pocket. Her boots stomped the gravel of the parking lot as she headed for her car.
God, he was so dense! He couldn't see that his attempt at flirting was worse than treating her with indifference? Had saving his life made Jill more appealing?
Just the thought made her long to knee him in his balls so hard, he’d sing soprano.
Dereck call out behind her but she ignored him. If he wanted to catch her, he could do it in two seconds flat.
She unlocked her SUV and just as she climbed in, she got a whiff of the same animal from the woods the other day. It was a damp, almost moldy musk, like wet, dirty fur, but she didn't know what kind of animal smelled like that. Only that it had been there with them the day that Dereck had been shot, with the unwashed man.
"What the hell was that..." Dereck's voice trailed off, and his head jerked to the right, staring off into the darkness beyond the parking lot.
"You smell it too?" she whispered.
He nodded. "Bear."
"Like, a bear bear or a werebear?"
"I don't know."