Centaur Rivalry (Touched Series Book 3) (4 page)

Brent ‘s hand dove
deep into his jeans pocket, pulled out a twenty, and wordlessly handed it over to the bartender.  She smiled a dazzling smile, winked at him, and said, “I’m keeping the change, stud.”

Brent nodded
.  It was almost too funny to watch.  I wondered if he’d ever recover.

Katherine
had quietly watched the exchange between Brent and the bartender.  She shook her head, addressing the bartender in a no-nonsense way, “Jessica, give Brent his change.”

Brent’s voice actually cracked when he looked from
Katherine back to Jessica, “No.  Keep it.”  Jessica blew Brent a kiss, and I thought he was going to melt into a puddle of goo where he stood.  Katherine’s face flushed a bright red.  It wasn’t the cute kind of blush where she’d heard something that embarrassed her; it was the aggravated blush of a woman swallowing her words.

Daniel
leaned up on the bar with his arm still loosely hooked around me.  “Jessica.  Now that’s a beautiful name.  Seems my good friend Brent forgot to order my drink.  I’ll have a Seven and Seven.”

Katherine
walked away from the bar, motioning for me to follow her.  She walked in the direction of the billiard table but then pointed to a door along the back wall of the bar.  A sign hung on the door in clear block letters that read: Authorized Personnel Only.  Katherine looked at me as she opened the door, “Well, it’ll be a few days before either of ‘em figure out they don’ have a shot in hell with her.  Until then, I bet neither is worth a crap at cards.”

The little room hidden behind the door was small.
  There was only the one way in and no other exits.  Katherine watched me as I took in the room.  It was odd.  With most humans I could hear the questions in their heads before they spoke, but Katherine’s mind was silent – eerily silent.

(
Camille, Small Town in South Dakota
) 

She pulled out a chair, dusted off the seat and eased down with the grace of a swan.  “So, what’s yer story?”

I shouldn’t have been surprised by her forwardness
.  This had been her demeanor since the moment we met this morning.  I didn’t like the idea of her thinking we were felons, but there wasn’t much of an alternative to give her without lying.  “No story, just on vacation with friends.”

Suspicion clouded her face,
“Uh huh.  Yer friends brought you and yer brother on their honeymoon?”

Okay
, when she put it like that, we did look suspicious.  “Extended honeymoon.  I think it was officially over last week.”

Her eyes pierced mine.  She wasn’t buying it. 
“Whatcha doin’ here?  No one comes ta South Dakota this time of year ta see the monuments, and it’s too cold for a bike rally.”  One of the largest motorcycle rallies happens in Sturgis, South Dakota each summer – I remembered seeing faded billboards from last summer along the highway into town.  Even if we had been here during the right time of year, none of us had motorcycles with us.

Drake and I had
spent so much time trying to hide, it never occurred to me to develop some sort of cover story.  Maybe coloring a lie in truth would make her less skeptical.  “My other brother used to live here.  I was between jobs, and he said I could stay at his house.”

“Yet,
yer staying at my motel?”

My heart started speeding up.  Why wasn’t I at Cameron’s house?  I couldn’t tell her it was because thirty rogue Centaurs stormed the place, busting every door and window
during their assault and were no doubt hunting for me right now.  “Infestation.  The place was crawling with undesirable creatures.”

Katherine
cocked her head.  She didn’t call me an outright liar, but she didn’t believe me.  “This time of year?”

“The view is better from your mountain
, and we haven’t seen any . . . creatures since we arrived to scare us away.”

“Fine.  Y
ou don’t have ta tell me what you’re runnin’ from, but don’t try ta bullshit me.  If it’s the law lookin’ for ya, you picked the right town ta hide in.”

What did she mean by that?  Was the town full of criminals?  Did they not have any law enforcement?  I should have asked her, but asking would only cement in her mind that we were on the run from the law. 
Katherine picked up a deck of cards off of the green felt-covered table and started shuffling.

A
bsent any other story I could give her, I let her believe we were criminals.  She shuffled the cards the way a Vegas dealer does, laying them out flat, expertly folding them together, cutting them, reshuffling and cutting again.  Her hands moved so fast I could hardly keep my eyes on them.

I’d been mesmerized by her hands, endlessly shuffling the deck.  She looked up at me, not even glancing at the table
, and flipped the top card – an Ace of Spades.  The second card she flipped was the King of Spades, the third was the Queen, two more cards appeared until she had dealt a royal flush.

“Impressive.  How many casinos have you been barred from?”

For the first time since we entered the room, a sly smile crept across her face, “None.  At least, Katherine Newton hasn’t been barred from any.  I don’t ever gamble under my real name.  If I did, I’d hafta pay taxes on my winnings.”

Okay, so
Katherine was a criminal.  Tax evasion was a federal offense, and she seemed not to be the least worried about me knowing.  I cleared my throat, “So, who owns the motel we’re staying in?”

Katherine
sounded defensive, “That was a legit win.  I don’t do any sharking here.  Jessica doesn’t allow it.”

I didn’t forget the worrisome feeling I had when we arrived.  The more I knew, the better our chances for not getting caught by surprise. 
“Jessica’s the morality police?”

“Uh, no.  Jessica owns th
e bar.  She was twenty-one when she inherited this place from her grandparents.  No one gives her any trouble.  She doesn’t like cheats, so no one cheats here.”

“Every game’s
on the up and up?”  Daniel’s words echoed in my head: 
some card shark took me for everything I had my first night here.  “
Daniel said you took him for everything he had.”

Her sly smile from minutes ago re-emerged.  “Jessica takes a night off every now and again.”

I felt my eyes narrowing on reflex, “Daniel’s my best friend in the world.  I’d hate to think you stole from him.”

She put on an innocent expression,
“Stole . . . that’s a strong accusation.”

Her eyes weren’t the least bit angry at my insinuation
, so I pressed again.  “But, no denial?”

“I said that’s a strong accusation.  I didn’t say I didn’t cheat him.”

I could hardly believe my ears, “You’re pretty brazen about it.”

Katherine
looked at me with a cross between admiration and frustration, “You’ve got that same look about ya that Jessica does.  I don’t ever try ta tell her a half-truth because somehow she always knows which half is a lie.”

My whole body tensed. 
Katherine was undeniably human.  I didn’t sense even a drop of Centauride blood in her veins.  How could she so easily know that Jessica and I were the same?  I began searching through her thoughts trying to figure out
exactly
what she knew.  It was like trying to see through a stone wall.  I couldn’t get anything from her.

Katherine
tapped the deck of cards on the table a few times, “That other friend of yers, Bianca, she’s the same, too, right?”

A lump formed in my throat.  I stammered, “I. . . don’t. . . I don’t have any. . . what do you. . .
”  Before I could win a bumbling idiot award, the door swung open with Jessica leading Brent and Daniel into the room.  Jessica’s lips spread in a thin smile.

Jessica was looking straight at me when I telepathically asked her, “
What does Katherine know?  How does she know we’re both Centaurides if she’s human?
”

Her smile morphed into a grimace.  “
Eerie, isn’t it?  It’s like she can sense it or something.  Centaurides are easier for her.  Centaurs come through every now and again, and she doesn’t hone in on them as easily unless she’s really trying.
”

Katherine
’s voice cut off my mind-versation with Jessica.  “Daniel, I didn’t expect ta see ya back here.”

Without taking his eyes off of Jessica, Daniel answered, “The
company in this bar is worth the monetary setbacks.”

Everyone took a seat around the table.  Brent and Daniel sat on either side of me, Jessica sat on the other side of Brent. 
Katherine started dealing when Jessica announced, “Deal me out.”

Daniel
was still watching her from across the table, and when he spoke it was as if no one else were in the room, “No.  If someone’s going to take the shirt off my back, I want it to be you.”

This comment infuriated Brent.  I’d wager a bet that
Brent had spent almost no time with Centaurides other than Gretchen and our sister-in-law, Hannah.  He had this way about him of putting Centaurides up on a pedestal.  Daniel’s thinly veiled innuendos were like an accelerant poured on an open flame.

Ignoring Brent’s obvious frustration
with Daniel, Jessica answered, “I like a good view as well.  You could hand it over now and save Katherine the effort of taking it from you.”

Katherine
watched the two men oogling over her friend.  She didn’t like it.  I’d spent enough time around Daniel and the women who were sweet on him; I recognized the pangs of jealousy that shot out of her eyes like laser beams.  Brent pulled out a wad of cash and set it on the table in front of him.  Daniel, not wanting to be outdone, reached in his pocket and pulled out a set of keys.

I picked up the keys, “What are these to?”

Daniel answered me, but his eyes were still locked on Jessica.  “My cabin.  I hate to think I could leave here homeless tonight.  I wonder if anyone would take me in?”

Jessica’s face flushed.  After having seen
Katherine’s demonstration before the other three arrived, I wasn’t about to let either
donate
their antes.  Instead, I offered, “How about if we play a friendly game tonight?”

Katherine
answered, “No one’s leaving homeless.  Max ante will be twenty dollars.  We’ll keep track on paper, losers have forty-eight hours ta pay.  Fair enough?”

I shook my head.  “Not with those cards,
Katherine.”  Ignoring her offended look, I turned to Jessica, “Do you have a new deck around here?”

Jessica smiled at me. 
“Of course.”  She reached into a drawer on the table and took out a freshly wrapped pack of cards and handed it over to Katherine.  The deck of cards Katherine had been using was carefully tucked into her back pocket.

Conversation was sparse as
the four of us played and Jessica watched.  Everyone won a hand or two, but Katherine had a real knack for playing.  I kept hearing that old Kenny Roger’s country song in my head about knowing when to hold ‘em and knowing when to fold ‘em.

As the hours ticked by
, I began to wonder about Drake.  He was probably a nervous wreck.  We’d been gone for over four hours.  If there was trouble, he’d be able to contact me telepathically through our betrothal connection, but he’d remained silent since we left the motel.  I closed my eyes and sent him a message, “
Drake, can you hear me?
”

The answer was immediate.  “
Yes, Love.  Are you okay?
”

“Just missing you.”

“I wish I could be there with you.”

“
Me, too.  Daniel’s here.”

Drake hesitated
, “Daniel’s with you?”

“Yeah.  He didn’t go back to San Diego after Beau and Lacey left.”

“That’s good news.”

“Really?  I thought you two didn’t hit it off.”

“I’m not looking for someone to watch a game with.  We could use him.  Invite him back to the motel.”

Use him for what?  Daniel needed to keep his distance – he didn’t stand a chance if we were attacked again. 
“What did you three decide?”

“
We’ve planned out the route.  I think you’ll like Bianca’s travel plans.  You’re still sure about going to Centauride, South Africa to address the Centaur Council, right?”

“Among other things.
”  I pushed an image of me wrapped up in his arms with my head buried in his chest.

“
How long until you get back?
”

“
Soon.  Very soon.
”

It was Drake’s turn to push an image to me.  His lips were on my collar bone, lightly making their way up my neck, his breath was heavy at my ear when the words reverberated in my head, “
Not soon enough.
”  He broke our conversation as waves of heat spread through me.

When I looked up,
all eyes in the room were on me – it must have been my turn.  I mumbled, “Sorry, daydreaming.”  Oblivious to the game, I tapped the table and said, “I call.”

Katherine
rolled her eyes, “You can’t call.  Are ya staying?”  Crap, this was a fresh hand.  I looked at it and I’d been dealt a royal flush!  “I’m staying.”  Brent took two cards, Katherine took one.

Daniel upped the bet by ten dollars, I raised another ten, Brent anted, and the bet was to
Katherine.  Jessica, who had been very quiet throughout the night said, “It’s about time for last call, I need to go home and
fold
laundry tonight.”

Katherine
made a frustrated face and tossed her cards on the table.  I’m not sure if it was because I’d just finished chatting with Drake or what, but I remembered the few phrases I’d heard Jessica utter while we played:  “Remind me to hook
up
a fresh keg before we leave tonight.”  “I need to have the juke box looked at, see if they can set the volume
up
, you can hardly hear it from in here.”  “There are towels in the dryer I need to
fold
before closing tonight.”

Nice.  Not only was she a Centauride who tended bar, she help
ed her friend cheat at cards!  Katherine’s comment earlier about Jessica not allowing sharking in her bar must have been a joke.  Jessica would be able to hear my message loud and clear.  My eyes narrowed at her as I telepathically scolded her, “
Stop it now.  No more cheating
.”

Jessica’s laughter
interrupted the quiet of the game.  Brent, Daniel and Katherine all looked at her as if she’d grown a third eye.  Katherine’s voice sounded concerned, “Ya okay, Jess?”

“Never better.”  Her eyes remained locked on mine.  “
What are you three running from?
”