“Uhh, I need some wine for all this…” I motion my hands at them. “Love and stuff. I’m going to stop by Hudson’s and grab some wine and I’ll meet you guys and the lovebird back at our place.”
Kinsley nods as Brea laughs, waving back. It’s going to be a few minutes before they’re able to pull Ellie away from Callum and into the car. It’s best for all of us that I get a head start.
Kinsley’s grandpa owns a grocery store in Arbor Creek, which happens to be where Ellie worked when she moved here last year. It’s famously named after him, Hudson’s. Since we have to drive further out of town to go to a bigger store, it makes it the perfect place to stop for nights like tonight.
I pull into the parking lot and slip into one of the spots out front. Clicking the lock on my door, I’m only able to get two steps in front of me before a car races into the parking lot cutting me off.
“What the hell?” I mutter, stopping myself before I let out a string of swear words.
It’s not because I suddenly remember my manners, unlike the rude asshole who just about hit me. No, it’s actually the exact opposite. I’d love to lay into the piece of shit standing in front of me, I just know better not to.
It’s been a few weeks since I last saw Marc Krate outside of Brodie’s. I honestly fully expected him to steer clear of me when he realized not only was Graham back in town, but he was there at Brodie’s with me that night.
“That’s not a nice way to greet someone, Halle,” he says. His lip sticks out from the tobacco stuffed inside his lip. He spits, narrowly missing my foot in the process.
Squinting my eyes at him, I press my lips into a thin line in an attempt to keep me from firing off at the mouth.
Holding onto the strap of my purse, I adjust it on my shoulder as my eyes glance around me. I’m not some damsel in distress, but I get an overwhelming sense of uneasiness around this prick. The sooner I can wrap this up, the better.
“Can I help you with something?”
The words come out sharply. He’s grating on my nerves and I really have no patience for dealing with him right now. Or ever.
“That’s so kind of you to ask. Actually, you can,” he states, leaning forward as he looks around the parking lot.
The knot in my stomach tightens. Squeezing my hand tighter around the leather strap, I contemplate climbing back in my car. He’s blocking me in now though. There’s no way out of here without jumping the parking block in front of my car, which would likely do some damage.
“Spit it out,” I reply curtly.
The smile on his face turns sinister, and I immediately wish I would’ve just shut up.
“You see that boyfriend of yours lately?”
It dawns on me the irony in his question. Surely if he thought Graham was still my boyfriend, he’d know the answer. After the threat he gave him last time he came around, I wonder why he’d be asking me this of all questions.
“Obviously.”
He chuckles to himself as his eyes rake over my body. His obvious perusal of my body makes me feel disgusting, dirty.
“Good.” He smiles again. “You can give him a message for me then. You tell him if I catch his boys following me again, I’ll see to putting him six feet under next to that cousin of his. You hear me?”
My throat goes dry as the words hit my ears. He smiles again, spitting on the ground as bile rises up my throat.
I don’t doubt for a second after we saw him at Brodie’s, Graham did some digging into Krate. We all see his name in the paper. It’s no secret the trouble he’s been getting himself into.
“Alright.” My voice cracks. “I’ll tell him.”
I’m about to ask him to leave when a large black diesel truck pulls up behind him, parking next to me. I don’t recognize the vehicle at first, but I relax a bit when I spot Maverick walk around the back stopping next to me.
“Everything alright here?”
He must feel how uncomfortable I am. I’m practically pleading with him to help me, to get me out of here and away from him.
“We’re good. Nothing for you to be poking your nose into,” Krate says, but I pick up his double meaning. Something tells me he’s aware Maverick’s one of the guys who’s following him, but if he does, he doesn’t say anything.
“You two have a good night,” Krate says, a sarcastic smile lines his mouth as he turns to climb back in his car. “You remember what I said, Halle.”
He winks at me, just before rolling the window back up. The tint is so dark once it’s all the way up, I’m left staring at my scared reflection alongside Maverick’s stone-cold face next to me.
We both watch as he slowly drives to the back of the parking lot, disappearing down the alley.
“You okay? What’d he say to you?” Maverick questions, looking me over. There’s an edge of concern laced in his tone.
He moves to take a step closer to me, catching me off guard, so I take a step back pressing me against my car door.
“Whoa, Halle. It’s okay. It’s just me.”
“He just said…” I stutter, running my hand over my forehead. I feel light-headed and dizzy. Like all the adrenaline is now hitting me and I need to sit down. “He said he knows Graham has been poking around in his business, having people follow him or something. He said he wants him to back off or he’ll…”
I can’t even finish my sentence. The words are caught in my throat, unable to come out.
“Or he’ll what, Halle? What’d he say?”
Maverick reaches out, rubbing his hand over my shoulder in an attempt to reassure me. “He’s not going to hurt you, okay? That much I can promise you. I just need you to tell me what he said.”
“He said if he doesn’t back off, he’ll put him six feet under next to Gage.”
Tears trail down my face, and I don’t even bother to wipe them away. I know he understands the weight of those words. Anger transforms the look on his face, as he clenches his jaw.
“Motherfucker,” he growls, gritting his teeth.
“Whatever you guys are up to, please stop. It’s not worth it. It’s not worth making him mad or risking your lives. I’ve lost Graham once, I don’t want to think about losing him forever.”
I get choked up saying that last word. Shouldering past Maverick, I cover my mouth trying to get my emotions in check. I just want to get in and out of the store, then go home. I focus on the sound of my sandals against the cement ignoring him calling out my name to try and stop me.
Right now, I just want to drown my problems in a glass of wine and forget everything.
14
Graham
* * *
All I could think about after I got off the phone with Maverick was Halle. Was she okay? I just wanted to pull her into my arms and hold her.
I tried calling her, only for the call to go straight to voice mail. She texted me back saying she was having a girls’ night and couldn’t talk but assured me she was alright. She had to know after the last time, it bothered me.
Considering she hardly looked at me the entire way back from Chicago, much less spoke to me, I had a feeling she regretted the night in my hotel room.