Facing Fear Read online

  Facing Fear

  Harley Turner

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 Harley Turner Books

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means – electronic, mechanical, photographic (photocopying), recording, or otherwise – without prior permission in writing from the author.

  ISBN: 1720437874

  ISBN-13: 978-1720437871

  Contents

  Other Books By Harley Turner

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  From the Author

  Sneak Peak of Conquering Fear

  Other Books by Harley Turner

  First Love Series

  Summer Love (Book One)

  Autumn Goodbye (Book Two)

  From the Corner of Her Eye

  Self Inflicted Series

  Self Inflicted (Book One)

  Scars Fade (Book Two)

  Before the Scars (Book 2.5)

  Reopening Old Wounds (Book Three)

  Saving Avalon Series

  Finding Her Wings

  Finding His Soul

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to my family. For all those summer trips out to South Dakota.

  I found a way to bring Deadwood home with me!

  ~1~

  “M aya, I really hate to do this, but I need you to stay late tonight.”

  Maya Michaels wanted to pretend that she imagined the words, but when she turned toward the voice, her boss Tom was standing at the end of the table in the break room staring down at her.

  “What?” she asked. Maybe she had misheard him. Surely he didn’t expect her to stay another shift after she had already spent the entire afternoon seating customers and bussing tables for barely over minimum wage. The last thing Maya wanted to do was stay even later to deal with the dinner and drunken crowd.

  She loved her job, and she definitely needed the money, but during what was easily the busiest week of the year, Maya preferred to work during the day, spending most of her evenings at home away from the crowds that poured into her small town every August. Sure, the town was crowded with tourists all summer, but the first week of August was when Sturgis had its annual motorcycle rally, which caused drunk and rowdy bikers to pour into the surrounding towns in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

  “I’m sorry Maya,” Tom went on. She could hear the empathy in his voice and knew she wouldn’t refuse. “I’m sure you probably had plans tonight, and I know you prefer to work days this week, but I really need you tonight. I have no one else.”

  Maya bit her lip to hold in a laugh. Her? Plans on a Friday night? Sure, she had planned to sit at home until Cody was off work, and then they would meet in the cemetery and tell each other about whatever crazy tourists they had encountered, but that was an every night occurrence. There was nothing special about that particular Friday night.

  “How late?” she asked, hoping it would be for only a couple of hours.

  “I really need someone to close tonight,” Tom admitted. He honestly hated asking Maya to stay, but she had been one of his most dependable employees for almost four years.

  “Who called in?” The staff in the small but popular restaurant knew better than to call in during Sturgis week. Tom had threatened them every year, saying a call in for any reason would result in immediate termination. Although Maya had heard the threat several times, no one had ever tested Tom’s words.

  “Chloe,” he said quietly. “Some problem with her kid.”

  Maya nodded. She knew Tom wouldn’t fire Chloe. She was probably the one person that could actually get away with calling in. Everyone at the restaurant felt sorry for their newest staff addition. She was a young, single mother raising a severely autistic three year old son. Maya knew Chloe’s life wasn’t easy; she had babysat Mason a couple of times and he was definitely a handful. She wasn’t sure how Chloe was able to handle him on her own and could definitely see why Chloe had problems keeping a job.

  “Chloe is a waitress,” Maya pointed out. She wasn’t a waitress, although she had been trying to convince Tom she could handle to position all summer. She had been able to help out other waitresses with a few tables before, and she knew what she was doing, but she had never had an entire section on her own before.

  “That’s what I need you for,” Tom said. “I know you have been after a wait staff job, so here’s your chance. Please Maya. I really have no one else.”

  “I’ll do it,” Maya told him. She wouldn’t have told him no even if he only needed her to bus tables and Tom knew that she needed the money. Waitressing would bring in a lot more than her usual crappy wage, especially on a busy night.

  “If you get overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to ask me or the other girls,” Tom insisted. He might act like a hard ass to keep his staff in line, but he genuinely cared for everyone that worked for him. He was very secretive about his life before he moved to Deadwood. He appeared to be in his early forties, and he bought the restaurant and attached bar shortly after moving to town nearly ten years earlier. He kept mostly to himself and spent most of his time at work. In those ten years, he built his business and quickly became famous for the best burgers not only in Deadwood, but all of the Black Hills.

  “I will,” Maya promised, although she hoped she wouldn’t have to. She had to prove that she could handle to position.

  “The crowd coming in is already getting a bit unruly,” Tom continued. “You’ve worked these rallies before. You know how they get.”

  Maya nodded. While the Sturgis rally brought in a lot of business every year, many of the bikers were drunk and obnoxious. She could handle it, she kept telling herself. Glancing down at the tank top and jeans she was wearing brought up a new question. “Should I run home and change?”

  Tom required a strict dress code from his servers and Maya definitely was underdressed. Waitresses were supposed to be dressed in long dark skirts and corsets, similar to what a saloon girl would have worn in 1876 when the town was founded. When working as a hostess, she could get away with wearing jeans and a shirt with the restaurant’s logo.

  Tom shook his head. “I need you out there soon. Just wear that for now. I’ll see what I can hunt down in storage.”

  “What about drinks?” At only seventeen, Maya was technically not allowed to serve alcohol. In the past when she had helped wait tables, one of the other girls or even a bartender had delivered drinks to the tables, but there had been one or two occasions that she had had to serve the customers because no one else was available.

  “You are going to have to take care of them tonight,” he instructed. “I hate to risk it, but I can’t spare a bartender and it’s already crazy busy so the other girls will have their hands full with their own tables.”

  “Sorry to interrupt, but we really need Maya out here,” Stacie, another waitress, called into the breakroom on her way to the kitchen. “Table twelve is waiting to order.”

  “Maya, I’m really counting on you tonight. I know you can do it.”

  Maya nodded as she reached back to pull her long, wavy, blonde hair into her usual ponytail. She turn
ed away from Tom and left the break room. When she reached the dining room, it was definitely busy. Every table was full and there was a line of people waiting for an open table.

  During the first three hours of the shift, Maya managed to only screw up one order, and it was only a minor mistake. Most of the customers were great and she couldn’t wait to see how much she made in tips.

  Around eight, the dinner crowd began to wind down. Tom had been able to hunt down a black skirt and purple corset in Maya’s petite size for her to change into. Stacie had been able to spare a few minutes to help with her hair and makeup. As she stared at her reflection in the mirror of the bathroom, Maya hardly recognized herself. She was wearing much more makeup than she was used to and her customary ponytail was replaced with a loose braid over her left shoulder. She looked like a complete different person.

  Just before she had changed, Maya had encountered her first potentially problematic table. Four guys, all bikers. All but one of them was already drunk when they stumbled to their table. She had already taken their drink orders before she changed, and she hoped especially that table wouldn’t notice her transformation.

  No such luck. They noticed.

  “I like this look better, sweet cheeks,” one of the drunken bikers remarked. He was maybe in his thirties with sandy blonde hair and vivid blue eyes. He wore a simple pair of blue jeans, a plain white shirt, and a solid black leather vest. Once Maya actually looked at them, she realized they were all dressed similar except for one. She assumed they were probably part of a motorcycle gang. Sturgis didn’t allow the groups to wear cuts or colors, and many of the outlining towns adopted the same policy, but they always seemed to find another way to represent their clubs. She didn’t have much experience in handling bikers, but she knew the clubs were all bad news.

  Maya just flashed a fake smile down at them. “I’m usually just a hostess,” she explained. “Just filling in as a server tonight.”

  “Are you even old enough to be bringing us these drinks?” he asked as Maya placed a full mug of Budweiser in front of him.

  “Jake, just leave her alone and let her do her job,” another guy at the table spoke up, defending Maya. She turned toward the voice. Her savior was much younger than the rest of the group. The only one not in a vest. The only one not drinking.

  The only attractive one.

  The man was dressed similarly to the others, but wore a solid black shirt and no vest. His hair, although the same color as the obnoxious one, was a bit longer and his blue eyes were even brighter. He had to be related to the loudmouth. At first, Maya had assumed her had been a prospect to the group, but no prospect would dare speak to a member the way he did.

  While the loud one, Jake, was distracted by the younger man, Maya quickly served the rest of the drinks and left the table. She decided she would take their food order when they calmed down a bit.

  “You are handling that rowdy table pretty well,” Tom praised her as she returned the bar with another table’s drink orders. “Let me know if they become too much for you.”

  Maya nodded even though she hoped she wouldn’t need Tom’s help. She had to prove to her boss that she could handle the job. Crying about a bunch of drunks definitely wouldn’t prove that. None of the other waitresses had ever needed Tom’s help and she didn’t intend to either.

  She had no idea how long that particular table remained at the restaurant. Every time she returned to check on them, they ordered more food and another round of drinks. There were only four of them. Maya couldn’t see how they could eat so much.

  It began to get more difficult keeping up with their drink orders as the night went on. All but the one was beyond intoxicated. She sincerely hoped they were staying somewhere in town and not planning on driving anywhere whenever they finally left.

  Because of the busier crowds, the kitchen stayed open later than usual. By the time most of her tables were empty, Maya’s feet were killing her.

  At closing time, there was still the one full table in her section, and they definitely didn’t look like they were even near ready to leave.

  “Guys, we are closing in fifteen minutes,” she told them when she brought their bill. “You are more than welcome to move over to the bar,” she added.

  The loud one kicked his feet up on an empty chair. “What if we don’t feel like leaving?”

  “I’m sorry, but we are closing,” she repeated to him.

  “What’s your name sweetheart?” he asked, refusing to move.

  “My name is not important.” Her voice was calm and steady despite the fact that she was panicking. All the other girls had fake names they had used while working, but Maya had never needed one before. Her mind went blank. She couldn’t even remember her own name.

  “Well then, sweet cheeks it is. Why don’t you bring me another beer?”

  “I can’t do that. The dining room is closing. If you want to move to the bar, I can have another round waiting for you there.”

  “Or you can bring me one right here like I asked for.” His voice was getting louder. “I’m not ready to leave yet and you can’t make me.”

  “Jake, seriously, would you just leave the poor girl alone.” The same guy that spoke out against the loud mouth before came to her rescue again.

  Maya was almost certain she saw red flash in Jake’s eyes as he whipped his attention around. She prayed they wouldn’t get into a fight.

  “Stay out of this, little brother,” Jake snapped, confirming Maya’s assumption that the two were indeed related. “No one is making you stick around.” He turned his attention back to Maya. She felt sick as she watched his gaze go from her head to her feet and back again. He sounded slightly calmer when he spoke again. “If our hot little waitress would escort me back to my room, I’ll leave without a problem.” He glared up at her with a terrifying look in his eyes. “Otherwise, bring me another beer.”

  Maya was so shocked by the proposition that she couldn’t speak. She couldn’t move to get out of there. She couldn’t even find her voice to call for Tom.

  The younger guy had a different reaction. He was pissed. He stood up so fast that his chair flew out behind him and hit another table with a crash.

  “Jake, just leave her the hell alone!” he shouted. Maya was grateful that no other customers were left in the restaurant, but it was only a matter of time before the commotion attracted attention of the bar.

  Jake stood up and turned toward his brother. “Get out of my face Troy!” he warned as he clenched his fist. “I never should have let you tag along on this trip. You don’t fit in with us.” He moved toward him. His fist was still clenched.

  “Look out!” Maya shouted, finally managing to find her voice just in time as Jake swung at his brother. Troy moved out of the way, causing Jake to fall onto a table. He went to swing again as another body stepped in the way and caught him by the fist.

  “You need to leave,” Tom shouted at Jake as he squeezed his fist. “All of you! Now!”

  Maya was stunned. She had never seen Tom so angry before. The veins in his neck were visibly pulsing as he stared down at the biker.

  It was silent for a few moments. No one moved until Troy reached for his wallet and tossed some cash on the table.

  “I’m sorry,” he mumbled as he glanced between Tom and Maya. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble in here,” he said before turning and leaving the restaurant.

  Tom released his grip on Jake and looked down at his friends that were still seated around the table. “All of you need to get out of here,” he repeated. “We are closed.”

  Maya stood completely still as she watched the three drunken bikers leave the room. No one else even considered paying the bill.

  She didn’t realize she was shaking until she felt Tom’s arms around her shoulders. She turned and buried her face in his chest.

  “I don’t suppose you drove to work today, did you?”

  She couldn’t speak so she just shook her head. Maya never drove to work.
Parking in downtown Deadwood was a disaster on a normal summer day. It would have been stupid to even try during Sturgis week. Besides, it was only half a mile and Maya liked to walk. Usually.

  “Do you want me to walk you home?”

  Again, she shook her head. The tears had started falling. Her first night as a waitress and she had blown it.

  “Why don’t you go to the break room,” Tom suggested. “Get changed and cleaned up. Then we will find you a way home. I don’t want you walking alone. They are still out there somewhere.”

  Maya nodded, but she didn’t want to leave the safety of Tom’s arms. She could feel his muscles flexing around her. She had never witnessed Tom break up a fight before. She had never seen him so angry.

  “Maya? Are you okay?” a new voice entered the dining room.

  Maya didn’t need to look up to know who the voice belonged to. She would recognize it anywhere.

  She moved her head from Tom’s chest and saw him standing there with a confused look on his face. Her best friend in the entire world.

  “Cody!” she exclaimed as she ran into his arms.

  He wrapped his arms around her and ran his hand over her tangled hair. “You weren’t in our spot,” he said calmly. “I was worried. What happened?” he asked as he glared at Tom. “You were supposed to be done here hours ago.”

  “I had a server call in,” Tom explained. “Maya filled in for her.”

  “I meant to text you,” she muttered into his shoulder. “I didn’t think I would be so late. I’m sorry.”

  Maya felt Tom’s hand on her back. “Stay back here as long as you need to,” he told her. “I’ll be out at the bar if you need me.”

  When they were alone, Cody lowered himself into a chair, but he didn’t let her go. They sat in silence for a long time with Maya’s petite frame curled up on his lap, wrapped in his arms.

  He hadn’t been sure what to think when he walked in on Maya and Tom locked in what appeared to be an embrace. He didn’t want to think that her boss would come on to Maya, but he would be lying if he said the thought hadn’t crossed his mind.