Cowboy Country (80 page)

She removed her hand from his arm. “Do you have siblings?”

“Five. Four brothers and a sister.”

“Wow. That’s a bunch.”

“Yup. A whole passel.”

Her curiosity burned. “Are they older or younger? Married? Kids?”

“I’m next to the youngest. My sister Liberty is the baby. She’s a senior in college, planning to be a journalist. None of us are married, much to my mother’s dismay. My oldest brother rode broncs, too, until he got busted up. Now he runs the family ranch.”

“Sounds like you have deep roots in Wyoming.”

 “I used to,” he said. “But I don’t aim to settle there anytime soon.”

“Because your career keeps you away?”

“That, and because of a lot of bad memories I don’t care to visit.” For once his eyes weren’t dancing when he looked her way.

“I understand.” Ava’s thoughts turned to her small hometown. An off-the-wall place in Northern California she wished only to forget.

“Now that I’ve given you my entire pedigree, care to share yours?” He glanced in the mirror, then at her.

“Not much to tell. I grew up in Feather River Valley, California. Just me and my mom. She still lives there and works in an insurance office. When I told her I wanted to go to Vegas to be a dancer, she threw me out the day I graduated high school. I got super lucky and made it onto the chorus line at the Blue Valentine. Been there ever since.”

She left out how her mother had either berated or ignored her. A bitter woman who had no use for her only child. How she’d found salvation in dance, taking every available class. She’d won two scholarships to a prestigious ballet school in Sacramento and spent two wonderful summers there. When she grew too tall for ballet, her instructor suggested chorus lines and the idea of dancing in Vegas was born.

“How old are you?”

She gave him a mock glare. “Not something you ask a lady. But if you have to know, I’m twenty-three.”

“Old enough, huh?”

She didn’t reply.

Silence fell between them as the miles rolled by.

~*~

Hours later, Ava woke to Levi nudging her elbow. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. We’re close to Grand Junction. We’ll grab something to eat and stretch our legs.”

She yawned and stretched. Late afternoon sun began to fall across the windshield as Grand Junction, Colorado, came into sight. The city sat in a bowl, surrounded by cedar-covered hills and red cliffs. In the far distance, the snowcapped San Juan Mountains rose out of the earth like some ancient majestic art. “Wow, how pretty.”

“I never get tired of this view no matter how many times I see it.” Instead of taking I-70 toward Denver, he stayed straight on Highway 50. “Mesa mall is nearby. We can grab a bite there.”

“I’m starving.” Ava realized she hadn’t eaten since late yesterday afternoon. Almost twenty-four hours previous. So much had happened in a short amount of time. She’d walked out of her dressing room expecting to go home for a meal, bath and bed. Instead, she’d witnessed a cold-blooded murder by someone she’d dated a couple of times, gone on the run with a rodeo star and had no idea if her life would ever return to normal.

He pulled into the parking lot of the mall, and once again his friends surrounded them with their trucks. Before Ava could open the door, Tessa did it for her. “I’m ready for a break, how about you?”

“My legs are tired of being bent.” Ava stepped out and stretched, reaching for the sky, aware of Levi’s hot gaze on her.

The mass of cowboys escorted them into a steak house, where they were seated by a hostess with a deer-in-the-headlights look. Tessa took the chair to Ava’s left, Levi across from her. Around them, his friends bantered among themselves. Whenever she made eye contact with one of them, he smiled in a friendly way.

At a break in the conversation, Levi said, “I want to thank you boys”—he motioned to Tessa—“and lady, for helping me and Ava.” He introduced each of his friends. They nodded or touched the brim of their hat in turn. She knew it would take ages before she’d remember all their names.

“Thank you,” she said. “I’m very grateful.”

“Anything for a friend of Levi’s,” one of them said, and the others murmured in agreement.

The talk turned to rodeo and Ava glanced at her surroundings. Someone had left a folded newspaper on a nearby table. She stood to get it and the men at the table stood, too. She flushed. “I just want that paper.”

“I’ll get it.” One of them, she thought his name was Tom Randolph, retrieved it for her.

She took the paper with an embarrassed smile. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure, ma’am.”

Upset that she had drawn so much attention to herself, Ava unfolded that day’s
Denver Post
. Nothing on the front page caught her eye, so she flipped through the entertainment pages. After catching up on celebrity news, she refolded the paper and turned it over. A photo caught her eye and she gasped. A headshot of the murdered man. His soulless eyes seemed to burn through her, his pockmarked face ugly. Even his mouth seemed sinister, pulled in a thin, tight line.

“What?” Across from her, Levi lifted his brows.

“Nothing. Brad and Angie have finally set a wedding date.”

He snorted. “There for a minute, I thought you’d seen a ghost. Or something worse.”

She’d tell him later, in private. She read the article, titled “Mobster Murdered in Casino.” The dead man was named Lenny “The Enforcer” Force. He’d been murdered in an execution-style hit. There were no witnesses, but it was suspected Lenny Force had been killed by his boss, Marco Abruzzo.

Ava’s fingers went numb and she dropped the paper. Marco Abruzzo. The Bruiser. Dario’s father. They’d never met, but Dario had told her about the man he both loathed and feared. Marco was an enforcer for the Savedra crime family. It was rumored he had fingers in every crime pie in Las Vegas. And also had numerous rats in the police department.

Apparently, Dario had joined the family business.

Dear God. If he didn’t already know where she fled he’d figure it out within hours.

No way a bunch of cowboys could keep her safe much longer. It was nothing short of a miracle they had managed to do so this long.

She had to get away from Levi before she got him killed, too.

The waitress began placing their meals in front of them. Ava lifted her fork and poked her chicken, but the thought of sticking it in her mouth made her stomach churn. All around her, cowboys dug into their steaks like ravenous animals. Even Tessa ate with relish.

“Something wrong with your chicken?” Levi stopped chewing and looked around for the waitress. “I’ll order something else for you.”

“No, thank you. It’s fine.” She forced herself to take a bite.

The meal passed in a blur for Ava, but she managed to swallow some of her tasteless food.

Tessa touched her elbow. “I need to go the ladies’ room. Do you want to come along?”

She held in a sigh. “Sure.”

They stood at the sink, looking into the mirror. Tessa combed her long dark hair. “So, tell me…how did you and Levi meet?”

Ava paused from applying lipstick. “I ran into him after my show last night.”

Tessa met her eyes in the mirror. “Your show?”

“I dance at the Blue Valentine.” Ava stopped. Most times when she told another woman what she did their expression turned to a haughty sneer. But to her surprise, Tessa only seemed intrigued.

“You dance? In one of those shows with feathers and everything?” Her eyes grew big. “Nude?”

“Yes, I’m a showgirl. Or I was until last night.” Ava braced herself for the disgust she knew was coming. “And, yeah, I sometimes dance topless.”

Tessa’s face lit up. “Oh my God. That’s so cool. I wish I could do that, but I can’t dance, except for country swing. Besides, I’m a foot too short.” She glanced down at her diminutive chest. “And about two sizes too small on top.”

“You’d be great if you were just a little taller.” She didn’t mention Tessa’s other problem.

They shared a smile.

“You must’ve been awfully scared to run off with Levi.” Tessa dug around in her purse. “Even though he is a great guy.”

“Terrified.” Ava met the other girl’s reflection. “I thought I was going to be killed. Thank God I ran into Levi when I did. I can’t believe how all of you have helped me.”

“That’s the cowboy code. Help each other. When you’re in trouble, you call.” Tessa found her hair spray and spritzed a good dose of it over her sky-high hair.

Ava had never heard of such a thing. The concept astounded her. She said so.

“That’s how rodeo people are,” Tessa said. “We’re family. If you’re with Levi you’re one of us. We try to take good care of each other. Especially after what happened to Beth.”

“Beth?” A little knife of jealousy pricked Ava. “Who’s that?”

Tessa dropped her hair spray in her purse closed it with a snap. “You should ask Levi. I’ve said too much.”

As they walked back toward the men, Tessa grabbed Ava’s arm. “If you need anything, just holler.”

Grateful tears filled Ava’s eyes. “I could use some your help with something.”

“Name it.”

“I don’t know what to wear at a rodeo. Could you show me?”

Tessa laughed. “Oh, honey, you came to the right woman. When we hit Denver, I’ll hook you up with everything you need. You won’t recognize yourself when I’m done.”

“I’m counting on it.” Ava meant every word.

After she took her seat she glanced across the table at Levi. His eyes looked bleak. In his hands he held the newspaper she’d left on her seat. He gave her a stiff nod. “You ready to go?”

“If you are.” Her hands trembled. Now that he knew who he had taken on, would he put her on the first bus back to Vegas? It would be for the best, but the idea left her with a knot in her stomach. She’d been brave earlier, but facing Dario alone terrified her. If half of what he claimed about his father was true, the man made punishment an art form.

Her fear about the cop at her house being a Savedra family informant seemed more plausible now, too. A deep wave of despair washed over her. Her life as she’d known it was over. The career she’d fought for, gone. It didn’t matter if The Bruiser or his son killed her. She had nothing left anyway.

She picked up her purse and walked toward the door, oblivious to her surroundings as tears splashed down her face.

Levi caught her at the door and spun her around. “Hey. Wait up.”

“You read the article. Dario Abruzzo, or his father, is going to kill me no matter what you do. We can’t stop them.” She knew she babbled, but couldn’t seem to stop.

He pulled her against his big, solid body and smoothed his hand over her hair. “We’ve made it this far. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You’re just worn out. You need a hot bath and a bed.”

Only if you’re there to protect me.

Startled by that thought, she pulled away. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Let’s push on to Denver. We’ll figure out what to do when we get there.” He wiped her cheeks with his thumbs.

“You must be so sorry you ever ran into me.” She sniffed.

“Are you kidding? I haven’t had this much fun since my grandma wrestled a greased pig at the county fair.” His cheeky grin was in place again.

“You’re making that up,” she accused.

“Yep,” he said, “but it made you smile.”

CHAPTER FOUR

The lights of Denver spread out before them like a million diamonds on a velvet blanket. Ava had never seen the city before and she sat up straight as they entered its perimeter. It looked much like Vegas, but missing the flashing neon lights of the strip.

“Where do you compete?”

“Right there.” Levi pointed to outlines of dark buildings near the freeway. “At the National Western Complex.”

He flipped on a blinker and around them, the crew of cowboys who’d accompanied them across the desert also turned on their signals. En masse, they traveled down a side street to a Sheraton hotel. Levi pulled into an empty parking spot. “Hopefully you’ll feel safe here.”

“I’m sure I will.” Her heart pounded like the chorus line’s feet. But the tap dancing across her ribs had less to do with fear than the idea of being alone in a hotel room with him.

In what had become ritual, one of his friends opened Levi’s door. He slid out and held out his hand for hers. She took it, the callused surface sending shock waves up her arm. Why she became jittery all of a sudden she didn’t want to examine too closely. He kept her close as they walked into the lobby.

A clerk quickly assigned them a room before moving onto his next guest. Tessa walked up, waving a card key. “We’re in the room next to you. Drew’s here. He has the one on the other side. In fact, we took every room on the corridor.”

“Thank you,” Ava said.

“Let’s get some shut-eye. I’m about to fall down,” Levi said.

A wave of guilt washed over Ava. Because of her, he hadn’t slept in how long? He looked dead on his feet with dark circles around his eyes and a scruffy bit of beard. “You’re probably hungry, too.”

“Starving.” The gleam in his eye had little to do with food, and more to do with something she’d said she didn’t want.

“Do you want to eat in the restaurant?” Pake asked.

“No. I think room service would be better.” Levi took Ava’s hand and spoke to his friends. “I want to thank you all for helping me out of a tight spot today. I think we’re okay now. Keep your eyes open for anything strange though, okay?”

They agreed, picked up their luggage and headed for the elevator.

Outside of their room, Levi paused to unlock the door and Ava looked around. His friends were busy entering their own rooms. Tessa waved and said, “I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

“Okay, great.” Ava smiled at her.

The door opened and Levi led her inside. She’d seen some beautiful suites, but right now she thought the plain hotel room the best she’d ever seen. Two double beds, gold-patterned bedspreads. Cherry wood furniture. She dropped her purse on the farthest bed from the door and slipped off her brown sweater.