9. Briar

Derek satat a two-top in the corner, where the shadows were thickest, watching Briar with laser focus.It was hard to read his expression without the glow of the neon lights, but his harsh features looked foreboding.He was dressed casually, like always, and a battered black Stetson sat at his elbow.

Briar's face was already red from exertion, but it flamed even hotter under the scrutiny, and he began to sweat.

Had Derek been watching the whole time?He must have seen every misstep, every stumble, every second of Briar proving how ridiculous he was.How he clearly didn"t belong.

As if he heard Briar's unspoken doubts, Derek leaned slightly forward, resting his forearms on the table and curling his fingers around his half-empty glass.A strand of dark hair fell over his forehead.

When their eyes collided, Briar expected to see mockery.But that wasn"t what he saw. He couldn"t decipher the look in Derek"s eyes, but it called to him.He wanted to get a better look, to double check whether they were as green as he remembered.

"I need to talk to someone!" Briar yelled, snatching any excuse to escape before he was trampled.

Aiden didn't seem to hear, but Briar didn't stick around to repeat himself.He broke free of the crowd and stumbled off the dance floor, drifting toward Derek like a fish too exhausted to fight the hook.

A strange mix of excitement and trepidation churned within him.He wasn"t ready for another round of the intense push and pull he felt around Derek, but he couldn"t resist.His stomach began to churn. The din of the tavern faded, swallowed by the rapid thrum of his own heartbeat.

"Hi," he said lamely, wishing he"d wiped at his sweaty face first.

Derek's gaze traveled down Briar"s body.There was a beat of silence, and then he said blandly, "Nice outfit."

There was nothing specifically mocking in his tone, but Briar felt like a show animal, appraised and found wanting.

He glanced down at his shimmery blue t-shirt.It was fine, but he was suddenly rethinking the way his designer jeans clung to his thighs like a second skin.Flashy was his whole brand. He didn"t know how to be anything else, and he couldn"t pretend to be someone he wasn"t.

He thrust out one hip and struck a pose just to needle him.

"What, this old thing?" he joked, running his hand through his hair before he remembered how much gel was in it."Picked it up at the ‘Trying Too Hard' store."

Derek's mouth didn't even twitch, but Briar thought the corners of his eyes might have crinkled.

"Mind if I join you?" Briar asked, indicating the empty seat opposite Derek.And then, just in case it sounded too flirtatious, he rushed to add, "I wanted to talk to you about Princess."

Whatever faint trace of friendliness he'd seen in Derek"s expression instantly vanished.

"Nothing to talk about," Derek said, draining his glass and slapping it down on the table with a grimace."She's not mine anymore."

"But you love her," Briar protested, and when Derek's eyes flashed, he waved him off irritably."Oh, don't give me that look.You can be a big macho he-man and still love puppies.It won't emasculate you."

"Is that what you think I'm worried about?"

"I don't know what you're worried about," Briar admitted."I can't figure you out at all."

Derek frowned and glanced away."It's not hard. I just want people to mind their own business and leave me alone."

Well, that couldn't have been clearer.Briar was tempted to take him at his word and go back to the crowd that—well, he wasn't sure they wanted him, but they at least tolerated him.But there was a devil in him, so he stuck his tongue in his cheek and pretended to think about it instead.

"Ohhh,"he drew out tauntingly, "Is that why you're brooding all alone in a dark corner?Isn't that your brother over there?Or do you not like him either?"

Derek's gaze darted over his shoulder to where West was laughing at some apparently outrageous story Cal was telling.Right before Briar's eyes, Derek"s features seemed to tighten and harden.

"What's your point?" he asked harshly.

Briar shrugged. "No point, I guess.You were just so nice to me the other day, and I"m a total stranger.But you seem to treat the things you care about like garbage."

Derek looked at him—really looked at him—in a way that just wasn"t polite.His gaze was steady and direct, instantly trapping Briar.Transfixing him. For a long, torturous moment, the ambient noise of the tavern seemed to fall away.Then Derek exhaled, a slow and controlled release.

"Life is more complicated than just being nice or mean, Briar."

"Is it?" Briar shot back, feeling strangely under attack."It seems simple enough to me."

Derek was silent.

Briar wondered if he'd gone too far.He fidgeted, trying to find a relaxed posture, but every angle felt awkward.He didn't even realize he was fiddling with the cuff of his sleeve until Derek reached out and stopped his hand.His fingers were shockingly warm.

"Look, kid," Derek said in a quiet voice, "I know you"ve got do-gooder written all over you, but around here you've got to learn to keep out of other folk's business.I've got my reasons. Most people do."

The word ‘kid' had Briar's hackles rising."I'm not that much younger than you," he retorted irritably.

Derek's smile was slow. "You're centuries younger."

"Anyone ever tell you that you're a condescending asshole?"

Reluctant amusement curved Derek"s lips, and he threw back his head and laughed.It was the first time Briar had ever heard a real laugh from him. Briar stiffened in his seat, skin prickling, and clenched his jaw to keep from shivering.

"Sure, I'm condescending," Derek agreed with a lingering grin on his lips, "but I'm never wrong."

"Expert at everything, huh?" Briar asked sarcastically.

Derek shrugged. "You said it, not me."

"Oh, my God." Briar laughed incredulously.He wanted desperately to take him down a peg, just to see what Derek might do.He jerked one thumb at the dance floor over his shoulder."Okay, Mr. Expert. Why don't you show me how it's done then?"

Derek"s scowl was full of distaste."I don't dance."

"Come on," Briar goaded, grinning mischievously."Just one dance. Or are you all talk?"

"I told you. I don't dance." Derek's voice was a low growl at that seemed to resonate with the deepest base notes of the music.

"It wouldn"t be gay or anything.They"re all standing in a line for cripes sake.There are plenty of guys out there." With his heart thrumming a triple-beat, Briar leaned closer and let the full weight of his gaze press into Derek.Wanting to push him out of his comfort zone, eager for it, he whispered, "Or is it that you just don't want to dance with a guy like me?"

Something flickered across Derek"s expression—something familiar.His face was so harsh that it always looked like it had been hacked out of a slab of granite, but for a fleeting moment, Briar swore he saw a crack in the stone facade.There was a man underneath...a man who looked as lonely as he was.

But just as Briar was deciding whether his reaction was the best or worst thing to ever happen to him, Derek's attention shifted toward the bar.His body had tightened up as soon as Briar got close, but now every muscle bunched in alarm.

The boisterous laughter at the bar had mutated into loud, angry voices that were growing impossible to ignore.The crew from the Triple M was still there, clumped together behind their boss.Michael Whittaker stood protectively in front of his crew, stance wide, facing off with two men.

Briar recognized the men instantly, and his fight-or-flight response kicked into high gear.Flight. It was always flight.

Ronald Sutter and Wade Guthrie were everything he"d been afraid of when he moved to a small town.They were big and rough and mean.Proud of their reputations. Proud of their ignorance. He'd had to call the cops on Sutter once after the man had picked a fight with West Owens inside his clinic.Ever since that day, he made sure to duck and run whenever he saw him coming.

The music was too loud to pick out their individual words, but their faces were twisted into ugly sneers.

Whittaker stood between them and his crew, shoulders squared.West had one hand on the back of Whittaker"s neck, as if he were trying to soothe and restrain him at the same time.

Derek's younger brother was like a less interesting version of him.His coloring was average. His angles were softer.It was almost as if Derek had gotten the strongest dose of their family genetics, and his dramatic size and bone structure had been diluted by the time it reached his youngest sibling.But he had a friendly, trustworthy air about him that Derek never would.

Right now, West"s cheerful face was strained.His eyes were worried as they darted around the crowd, probably searching for Eli, but the sheriff was nowhere to be found. Derek met his brother"s eyes.West gave his head a subtle shake, and Derek"s eyes narrowed.The next thing Briar knew, Derek had shoved back his chair and was already halfway across the room.

Briar scrambled after him.

"Derek—" He reached out to catch his elbow, certain he was about to make a bad situation worse.Derek ignored him, brushing off his restraining hand like Briar was made of dandelion fluff.For all his size, Derek moved quickly when he wanted.Those powerful legs got him across the floor in record time.Every inch of him radiated a silent menace that had the uneasy crowd parting around him.

Briar held back, heart thumping with fear.

Derek"s broad shoulders blocked his view for a moment, but when West"s face reappeared, it was twisted into a complicated expression that looked both resentful and intensely relieved.

Envy smacked Briar right across the face.

West didn"t know how lucky he was to have someone like Derek watching out for him.Just knowing a security net was there—knowing he wasn't alone—Briar couldn't imagine how safe that must feel.People underestimated how tenuous physical safety could be, but Briar had grown up with a keen understanding of how vulnerable he was.All it took was one animal a little higher up on the food chain to destroy him.

But not Derek. Nothing could threaten him—physically, at least—and that gave Briar the courage to edge a little closer to the conflict.

"Not your fight, Owens," Wade Guthrie was saying ominously.He was probably shooting for intimidating, but a hint of a whine had crept into his tone.

Derek ignored him, focusing his attention on Sutter instead.

"I warned you already," he said in a low voice."Stay away from my family."

Sutter threw back his head and laughed, wiping fake tears of mirth from the corners of his rheumy eyes.His sunken cheeks were flushed from booze, and his sloping shoulders and beer gut belied his pompous attitude.He must have been hot shit once, or at least thought he was, to have the guts to square off against Derek.He could still crush Briar's bones in a dozen different ways, but he looked small and pathetic in Derek's shadow.

"My problem is with Whittaker," Sutter said."I ain't gonna touch West."

One of the cowboys shouted, "He'd kick your ass again if you tried!"

"I would've taken him if I'd been sober," Sutter snarled, turning on whoever had spoken.

Derek didn't bother hiding his contempt."Sobriety ain't ever been more than a rumor you heard about once," he said wryly."The only thing that'll dry you out is the trip to prison that's heading your way.You sure this is how you want to spend your last few days of freedom?"

Sutter's neck reddened, his Adam's apple bobbing as he choked on his own anger."You've always been an arrogant prick, Owens.You think you're better'n me now?I remember your roots. I remember when you used to beg me for work just to keep that brat fed."

He jabbed a stubby finger in West's direction.

Something dark and truly menacing flashed across Derek"s face.Briar"s heart began to race, his body locked in a battle that told him to run while simultaneously urging him to get closer.

"And I remember you, Sutter." Derek"s tone was low and vicious."I know what kind of man you are.I know exactly what you deserve.I"ve left you alone all these years because you ain"t worth my time.But I got time to kill tonight.You sure you want to tangle with me?"

The unsettled murmurs of the crowd intensified, the atmosphere thickening with a potent cocktail of dread and anticipation.Briar shifted anxiously, desperate to crack a joke and somehow divert the tension.But he had no idea what was happening.Anything he said could make the situation worse.Even Aiden had lost his trademark grin.He met Briar's eyes and gave him a small head shake.

Wade was slightly less wasted than his buddy.He grabbed Sutter"s arm, trying to diffuse the situation."C'mon, Ron. This ain't worth it.Not tonight."

But there was no reasoning with Sutter.He glared at Derek and snarled, spittle gathering at the corners of his mouth."If you think for one second that I'll back down just because I'm scared of you—"

"Ron!" Wade hissed, tugging at Sutter.But Sutter had drowned whatever better judgment he had inside a shot glass.The old man was running on pure spite and booze.

"You're trash," Sutter slurred, stabbing his finger so hard into Derek's shoulder that it made a meaty sound.Briar winced. "Always have been.Gonna die in this shithole town just like the rest of us.Maybe I'll do you a favor and take you out right here."

Derek stood there like a stone gargoyle, unflinching beneath the assault of his breath."Go home," he warned.

That was all. Just that. But his voice was so deadly calm that Briar"s blood ran cold.

The tavern had fallen deadsilent.Or maybe that was just how it seemed toBriar.His senses sharpened and he began to pick out isolateddetails:the neon glow turning the faces in the crowd ghostly, the music vibrating the floorboards beneath his feet even though he could no longer hearit.And then there was Derek. Stoic, silent, and drawing all the drunken rage that had been focused on his brother just a few minutesearlier.

When the tension finally snapped, Briarflinched.

Sutter lunged with an incoherent roar, swinging his arm wide in a sloppyhaymaker.

"Wait!" A bolt of fear rocked Briar into action, and he lurched forward into the wildpunch.

He wasn"t thinking. If he had been, he"d have turned and run in the oppositedirection.All he knew was that Derek had been kind to him, and some animal part of his brain couldn"t bear to watch that fistconnect.So, he dove between them like the world"s most uselessshield.

The blow struck him like a meteor, rocking his world off itsaxis.Pain exploded through hisface.It felt like his bones had shattered uponimpact.His vision flashed, crowd stuttering and jerking like a silent movie, before goingdark.He wasfalling.

A pair of strong arms caught him before he hit theground.

The last thing he heard was Derek's low voice rumbling in hisear."Dumb move,kid."