Chapter 2

It was always frustrating how time seemed to crawl whenever a person needed it to move faster, Mia thought. The last thirty minutes of her shift dragged and felt like it would never end, but eventually, with relief in her voice, Mia announced it was time to close and everyone had to leave. The usual murmurs of complaints met her announcement, but she paid them no attention. She was already stretching the reserves on her tank of patience.

The two guys, Rick and Ben, together with Joy, all of whom also worked in the bar, made quick work of getting rid of the handful of patrons who didn’t seem eager to get home. If given the chance, Mia was certain they would sleep in the bar and wake up tomorrow morning, ordering their favorite liquor as breakfast.   

She shook her head as Jim grumbled about being denied one more drink for the road even as he staggered to the door. If the man was trying to kill himself with alcohol, he was doing a mighty good job at it, Mia thought.

With Jim out the door, finally. One last person was left, and he didn’t look particularly in a hurry to get out. Mia dropped the rag on the counter and folded her arms over her chest. “Are you waiting for a red carpet to be rolled out for you or something? We are now closed, buddy.” She jerked her head to the door. “Find your way home.”

Asher blinked. He was equal parts shocked and intrigued. The woman was as sexy as she was feisty. He was sure she had folded her arms to look more serious and probably a little intimidating, but all Asher could concentrate on was the way her breasts pushed together under her black tight t-shirt. 

He forced his mind out of the gutter that it had tumbled into the instant he had laid eyes on her. Catching and holding her gaze, he said what he should have said half an hour ago. “I want to apologize.”

Her eyebrows rose and arched. “And what are you apologizing for?”

“I know what the old man said was very inappropriate and it upset you.”

An incredulous look formed in her eyes. “You are apologizing for Jim?”

Asher paused for a moment. Maybe he hadn’t thought it through very well. “No… well, I mean yes. I did not stop him.”

“What would you have done? Slap your hand over his mouth to stop the words from falling out?”

“It would have been better than to listen to any more of his words,” he answered with a smile.

She did not return the smile. Her demeanor was still cold and unyielding. “Listen, Mister…”

“Asher,” he immediately interrupted. “Asher Deavan.”

A pause filled the air for a moment. Then she glared. “I don’t care what your name is. You are not from this town and chances are I will never see you again after tonight. As for your apology… it’s not necessary… that was hardly the most inappropriate thing I have ever heard since I started working here.” She jerked her head towards the door again. “Now, get out.”

Well, damn, Asher thought. Talk about a woman with a chip on her shoulder. He reluctantly stood up, reached into his pocket for some bills to pay for the coke and a tip, even if the woman didn’t deserve one. Then he left, without so much as a glance over his shoulder.

The cold, clean air outside the bar was a welcome relief to Asher when he stepped out the door. He walked towards the small car park about five meters from the bar where he had parked his Ducati 1098. The red and white paintwork of his bike shined brightly in the moon’s light; which was the only source of lighting around the bar. Apparently, the bar owner was just too cheap to think of things like light security lights.

Out of nowhere, an uneasy feeling settled in his stomach. His thoughts went back to the sexy bartender with a chip on her shoulder. It was past one in the morning and he assumed she would be walking into the darkness of the night to go home. There was no car in the almost deserted car park that looked like the bartender’s ride. 

Even though he knew she had been doing it for months, he was suddenly very uneasy about her doing it again. It was a strange protective feeling he had never felt before in his life, not even for the woman he had almost married a few months ago. He had just met Mia half an hour ago. She didn’t even like him. But he couldn’t shake the feeling.

Instead of getting on his bike and riding out into the night until he found somewhere safe to spend the night, he sat on the bike and waited. She was probably not going to appreciate it. In fact, he was certain she wouldn’t appreciate it, but he couldn’t leave.

“Hey, Mia. You got a new admirer?” Rick asked as he wiped down the last table.

They were almost done for the night. Cleaning up after the bar was closed didn’t take more than twenty minutes. Or rather, they didn’t allow it to take longer than twenty minutes. Whatever wasn’t done in that space of time was, without hesitation, postponed to the next day.

Mia looked over and saw that Rick was actually waiting for an answer. “Admirers in this place are a dime a dozen.”

“Nah, that one looked like he really wanted to give you the moon and stars in a bouquet the morning after.” He waggled his eyebrows to emphasize his point and smiled.

Mia chuckled. “I see the local drunks have inspired you with poetry.”

Rick shrugged and went to retrieve his jacket. “In this place… you take what you can.” 

That was the truth. There wasn’t much anyone could learn or take from this place. Even when Mia had landed here six months ago and found the bar tending job, she knew she couldn’t have found a worse dump to hide in. That was the only advantage of a place like this; there was little-to-no chance anyone from her past could just happen to be passing through, which made hiding here the best decision she could have ever made.

Everyone left the bar, shouting the ‘goodnights’ and ‘good mornings’ as was the ritual. Then Mia was alone. She was always the last person to close up and leave. It never bothered her much. It’s not like she had anything to fear.

Ten more minutes securing that night’s money and she was out using the back door that gave into the alley at the back of the bar. If people thought the front of the bar was creepy, then they hadn’t seen the back yet. The alley was nothing more than a narrow passage between two buildings. It was so narrow and cluttered with empty boxes and crates that it made it almost impossible to get through without stumbling. And to make matters worse, it was dark. There were no security lights, not even the natural light of the moon could make it through because of the way the buildings had been placed.

All that, of course, did not worry Mia. As soon as she was out the back door, her eyes adjusted to her wolf and she could see as clear as day. That was why she saw them before they even made a move.

She had just locked the door and turned when she saw the two guys. She immediately recognized them as part of the group that had been playing music in the bar that night. Apparently, the fun hadn’t ended yet .

They stood leaning against the wall right at the edge of the alley where she was supposed to make her exit. She knew they couldn’t see her as well as she could see them. But there was no doubt they were waiting for her. And there was no doubt what their intentions were. Even with the foul odor of dead rats and rotten leftovers that saturated the air, the smell of arousal and anxiety from the two young men was very easy to catch.

“Shit,” she murmured to herself. She had really been looking forward to just getting back to her apartment and collapsing in her tiny bed for the next eight hours. 

She couldn’t go the other way; it was a dead end. There was only one way in or out of the alley. And it was through the two guys. 

Mia rolled her neck and started walking towards the guys. She had not expected beating anyone up tonight, but there was no avoiding it. She saw the moment they realized she was walking towards them. Their scent changed to one of excitement, then one of the guys pushed away from the wall and unfolded a pocket knife. Her step didn’t even falter.

Then, out of nowhere, a third person appeared at the entrance of the alley and immediately threw a punch at the guy that had still been leaning against the wall. 

Mia was as shocked as the two guys that had been waiting for her. “What the hell?”

The guy with the knife turned and equally received a punch to his jaw. He staggered back and hit the wall. For the next few seconds, there was complete chaos. The two guys fought the third man in the dark. Grunts and the sound of flesh being struck filled the air.

Mia stood very still. She recognized the third man as Asher, but what was he still doing there and what the hell was he doing punching the two assholes that had been waiting for her?

Just then, Asher received a hard punch to his gut, and he doubled over. That was enough to get Mia out of her frozen state. She immediately moved forward. The three had managed to take the fight just outside the alley, so she stepped out of the alley straight for them. She pushed Asher away from the two. “Stay out of this,” she told him in a tight voice.

Pain pulsed through his gut, causing white sparks in his eyes, but he still had enough sense to be shocked by Mia’s reaction. He was barely managing to beat up both men, and she said he should stay out of it? Was that a joke?

But before he could respond, she was punching and kicking both men who had been waiting for her. Thankfully, the moon was full and bright, or he would have never believed what his eyes saw. Mia launched towards one guy and was giving him such a brutal beating. Asher cringed on behalf of the guy.

Then something caught the light of the moon and reflected it into his eyes for a split-second before it moved. Asher jerked and searched for the source; a sense of dread already filling him. Then he saw it. The other guy, who had been on the ground after one good hit from Mia, was back on his feet and had a knife.

Asher’s insides fell to his feet a second before his heart went into overdrive. His feet moved before his brain had even had time to process the situation fully. He threw himself at the man before he could reach Mia. They both hit the ground hard.

The air was knocked out of Asher’s lungs even as he rolled with the man on the filthy ground. In the struggle, he managed to hit the man with his elbow and the man fell away from him. As Asher tried to get up and follow, he saw Mia reach for the man and give him one punch that knocked the guy out cold instantly.

Damn.

“What part of stay out of it didn’t you understand?” she snapped.

Asher looked at the two unconscious young men on the ground, then at the woman who was glaring at him with eyes that almost looked like they glowed. Asher shook his head and blinked a few times. He must have hit his head, he thought.

“He had a knife,” he answered finally as he moved to get off the ground.

“I could have handled it.”

Asher’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know how you were raised… but I can not stand by and watch a woman get attacked by two men and do nothing.”

She looked like she had something to say but suddenly raised her chin and Asher could have sworn he saw her sniff the air. “You are injured.” It wasn’t a question.

“What?”

Mia stepped closer. She ran her eyes over his entire body, then settled her eyes on his left arm. “You are injured,” she repeated.