His Revenge

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Jasper

Pulling her cell out of her back pocket, Tiffany frowned as she looked at the screen. “I’ve gotta go. My daughter wants Mommy to give her a bath and put her to bed.” Looking over her shoulder, she huffed. “I’d wanted to get at least one beer before I had to go on mommy duty. Oh, well.” She turned back to look at me softly. “It really was nice seeing you again, Jasper. Since you live here now, I’m sure we’ll see each other from time to time, especially if you come down to the Dairy King. I’m always there when it’s open.”

Getting up, I pulled out her chair and helped her up. “It was really nice seeing you, too, Tiff. I wish I could see a hell of a lot more of you, but I get it. You don’t want me around your kid. I can’t be too pissed about that. Since you won’t even let the kid’s father be around, how can I be mad?”

Looking a little nervous, she nodded. “Yeah, how can you be mad?” She turned to leave, but I stopped her by grabbing her hand.

Pulling her back to me, I hugged her nice and tight to remind her of what she was walking away from. “I’ve missed you, girl. And don’t you ever think I stopped.”

I felt her body sag in my arms, and for a second, I thought she’d change her mind about us. “I’ve missed you, too, Jasper. Not a day goes by that I’m not reminded of you.”

Letting her go, I had the idea that—given time—she’d want me back in her life. “See ya around, hot stuff.”

The smile on her face made my c**k twitch.

“Hot stuff? I haven’t been called that in forever.”

“About seven years, if I’m not mistaken.” I smacked her a*s as she walked away, making her look over her shoulder to give me another huge smile. “Be good, honey.”

“You be good.” She headed to the door, then left me standing there like a fool.

I went back to the table I’d left Tyrell sitting at alone. Only he hadn’t been alone long, because Felicity, a nosy reporter from the local paper that we met earlier, had joined him. But now she was vacating the seat I’d left open when Tiffany came in.

Giving her a nod, I looked at my brother as he asked, “Did you two reconnect?”

“Kind of. But not nearly enough. She left.” I looked over my shoulder as Tiffany went out the door. “So, I noticed Felicity came by to talk to you. She’s got a hard-on for our story. Cash and I have both told her it’s not quite the story she thinks it is. Plus, we don’t want to be front page news in our new town.”

“Me, neither.” Tyrell’s eyes went to the door. “Who’s that?”

I turned to look at who he was seeing and did a double take. “Naw. It can’t be.” It looked an awful lot like the little maid from our new home whom Tyrell had caught on more than one occasion already. But she wasn’t the type to be hanging out in a bar. Ella wasn’t the type to be anywhere but at the mansion.

“She almost looks like…” Tyrell squinted as he peered at her.

“Ella,” I whispered. I’d never been more sure of who I was looking at. It was the little maid who’d never worn any makeup or had her hair out of a ponytail. But there she was, all dolled up. And I had good reason to believe she’d done that for my older brother—to catch his attention. Little did she know, she already had it. “Yep, it’s Ella, Tyrell.”

“No way.” Tyrell stood, walked halfway across the room and then abruptly returned to take his seat again. “What in the hell? I have no idea what she’s doing.”

I pulled my chair around, so I could see her, too. “Well, this ought to be interesting. Little Ella Finley, drinking at a bar.”

The barmaid, Bobbi Jo, the girl Cash was interested in, put a shot glass in front of Ella, then filled it with whiskey. Tyrell said, “She ain’t gonna drink that. It’s gonna come right back out of her mouth.”

Cash looked back at us as Ella picked the glass up and took it all at once. He looked stunned when she put the empty glass down on the bar, then nodded. The glass was filled again, and Tyrell shook his head at Cash who merely shrugged as Ella downed another shot.

“She’s old enough to drink, Tyrell,” I reminded my brother before I took a sip of the beer I’d left on the table before Tiff had shown up.

“But she’s not a drinker, Jasper. She’s making rookie mistakes right there.” Tyrell looked at the door as some guy walked in, and the man’s eyes went right to Ella. He walked over and sat in the empty barstool close to her.

Seemed Ella knew the guy, as he ordered them both drinks and extended his arm, which Ella took. They took their drinks and went to sit at a small table together. I couldn’t help but grin; it was pretty damn obvious that the girl my older brother was interested in was out with someone else. “Would you look at that?”

Tyrell’s words came out in a growl. “I’d love to know what the hell she thinks she’s doing.”

“It looks like she’s trying to act normal for a change.” I took another drink, then turned my chair back around. Watching Ella on a date wasn’t as captivating to me as it was to Tyrell. “Boring.”

Tyrell couldn’t let it go. “She’s got work tomorrow; maybe I should go over and remind her about that.” He picked up his beer and started to rise. I watched him as he stopped himself again. I noticed that Ella had gotten up, too, and was returning to the bar by herself. “Or, I’ll sit back and see if she’s going to do the right thing all on her own.” But he didn’t sit back down. He stood there, watching Ella as she ordered another shot. “That’s way too much for her.”

I had to laugh, because my big bro was losing his mind. “Relax, Tyrell. We’re right here. We won’t let her drive home drunk. Maybe she took a cab.”

Tyrell peeked out the window, then came back and took his seat. “Seems she took the Corvette.”

Now, that surprised me. “She drove it here?”

“That’s what it looks like.” He took a long drink of the beer in his hand as he looked confused as all get out.

I had my own things to think about, and I decided to ignore him. But Tyrell made that impossible as he suddenly jumped up, knocked the chair over, then flew into a rage toward the bar.

I got up and watched as my brother grabbed the guy who’d left his table and now stood at the bar, holding Ella in his arms. Holding the front of his shirt with one hand, Tyrell clocked him with the other, sending the dude flying backwards. Next, Ella was flung over his shoulder like a rag doll, and the two exited the bar. Her fists pummeled Tyrell’s back as he carried her out.

Sitting back down, I chuckled and drank the last of my beer, then walked over to the bar to sit next to Cash who was looking a little stunned.

“What are you guys doing?” I asked him, then held up a finger to Bobbi Jo. “Uno más, por favor.”

Cash let out a loud laugh. “Um … did you catch what just happened here, Jasper?”

“Yeah, Tyrell went all ape on that poor guy who had the bad luck of hitting on Ella.” I took the beer that Bobbi Jo put in front of me. “Thanks, pumpkin. And put that poor guy’s drinks on my tab, will ya? Tell him Tyrell Gentry is paying for them, though. I don’t want him to have hard feelings for my deranged brother. Can you do that for me, baby?”

Cash gave me the stink eye. “Watch it.”

Chuckling, I winked at Bobbi Jo. “Seems he’s sweet on you, girl.”

She blushed. “You think?”

Cash’s face went red. “Jasper, I swear to God.”

“Nope, don’t do that.” Patting my brother on his back, I tried to settle him back down. “I want to ask your girl here some questions about Tiffany McKee.”

Bobbi Jo’s twin sister, Betty Sue, took an interest in our conversation and came down the bar to sit next to me. “I’m drinking scotch and soda, Jasper.”

“Cool for you, Betty Sue.” I nodded at her sister behind the bar. “I’m talking to your sister right now, so if you don’t mind …”

“I kind of do mind,” Betty Sue said. “Hit me with another drink, and I’ll take your mind off that boring redhead you asked about. I can tell ya right now, that girl hasn’t seen even one man since they moved here seven years ago. I wouldn’t get my hopes up that she’ll give to you what she ain’t given to no one else in all that time.”

The girl had no idea what the hell she was talking about. We hadn’t been in town but a week and already I knew better than to trust a thing Betty Sue had to say. Tiffany did have a kid after all. She had to have seen someone since she left Dallas and me behind.

“If I buy you another drink, will you do me a favor and stop talking, Betty Sue?” I asked her.

Once she nodded, I gave the go-ahead to Bobbi Jo to give her sister a drink on me. “This is gonna be your last one though, Betty Sue,” Bobbi Jo informed her sister. “This makes your third within the same hour. You’re hitting it too hard.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve got troubles I need to drink away.” Betty Sue ran her hand over my shoulder. “I was hoping you’d help me forget about them, Jasper.”

Normally, I didn’t have a problem with loose women. But now that I knew Tiffany was around, I didn’t want a thing to do with anyone but her. “Sorry, girl. I’m not in the mood to fix your troubles. Have the drink, and that’s all.”

Taking her new drink, she walked away, mumbling, “Damn, he’s hot, too. Rich and hot—a killer combo—and he’s only looking at that stuck-up redhead. What a crying shame.”

Cash ignored Betty Sue as he asked, “Why’s Tiffany McKee here in Carthage anyway?”

Bobbi Jo answered, “Her family owns the Dairy King. It’s got the best junk food in town. And on Sundays, Tiffany has her own menu. It’s nothing like the fast food they serve the rest of the week. It’s all healthy, locally sourced fresh food. You’ve got to make a reservation; it’s that exclusive.”

“So, this is where they came to when they left Seagoville,” Cash mused. “I’ve always wondered about that family. You and she were tight, Jasper. Are you going to try to get her back?”

“I am.” I took a drink of my beer as I contemplated how I would go about doing that. “Tell me what you know about Tiff, Bobbi Jo.”

The frown she put on her face didn’t do much to convince me that she’d be a wealth of information on the woman I thought of as my first love and only heartbreak.

“You know, Jasper, that girl stays to herself. She’s friendly and all that, but she’s just not into having relationships outside of her family.”

“What do you know about her kid?” I had to get some kind of information out of her.

“I don’t know anything except that she has a daughter.”

Bobbi Jo was useless. So, I turned to look for Felicity, the local reporter. But she’d slipped out with her date.

“Damn. Who else would know anything about my girl?” I shook my head as a hopeless feeling came over me. “If I can’t get her back, it’s gonna drive me nuts. Just seeing her again filled my heart up in a way no one ever has. She has to let me back in.”

She just has to.