Wildfire Omens (Wildwood #1)

Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

Cheyenne

“Cheyenne?” Claire’s breathless voice came through the phone, along with the sound of a car door slamming.

“I’m here,” I said, picking up the phone and shaking myself a bit.

“I’m on my way. Is he gone?”

“He’s gone.”

“Stay there. I don’t want you guys even walking out to the parking lot. I’m calling the sheriff and we’ll meet you there, okay?”

I met Rhett’s gaze and he gave me a small nod. “Okay.”

“Alright.” She let out an exhale. “Hang tight.”

I ended the call and put my phone down on the table. Rhett’s hand instantly came to mine, covering it.

“You okay?” he asked, worry in his eyes.

“I’m okay.”

The worry was replaced by fresh anger. “I can’t believe that guy.” He gripped my hand tighter. “I’m sorry I got you caught up in this. But I won’t let him hurt you.”

I shook my head, giving him a small smile. “He’s angry because of me, not you. I’m the one who should apologize. If I hadn’t reported him, he wouldn’t have so much anger toward your family.”

“This is not your fault,” Rhett insisted. “He’s hated us for years. Always figured he was jealous of what my family had built.”

“Well, I certainly didn’t help things. But there’s nothing we can do about it now, except whatever it takes to stay safe.”

Pete called out from the bar. “You guys okay?”

“We’re okay,” I called back.

Rhett tensed as the door to the bar flew open again. But I relaxed when I saw that it was the sheriff. McGrath strode straight to our table, a sour look on his face.

“Claire called me,” he said before either of us could say a word. “I came straight here. Hoped I’d catch him in the parking lot, but he’s already split. You two okay?”

“We’re fine,” I said.

“Claire said it sounded like he was threatening you,” Sheriff McGrath said, looking me straight in the eye. “That right?”

“Yes.” I shivered as my mind flashed back to the twisted look on his face. “He said he wasn’t the one to hurt Rhett, but that if he was going down for it, he would make it worth it.”

Sheriff McGrath rolled his eyes. “I see he’s still proclaiming his innocence.”

“He is,” I confirmed. “Then he…” I swallowed hard, not knowing how to say it.

“Yes?” McGrath waited.

Rhett filled in the blanks for me. “He looked at her like she was a porterhouse steak and he was a dog who hadn’t had a real meal in a week. Then he told her he’d see her soon.”

McGrath’s face turned hard. “I see.”

“What is he doing out of jail, anyway?” Rhett demanded.

“He made bail,” McGrath said flatly. “Judge went soft on him. I don’t like it any more than you do. Don’t even know where he came up with the money, but he did.”

“Can we get a restraining order?” I asked.

McGrath nodded. “Yeah. I’ll take care of that. But that’s just a piece of paper,” he warned. “Don’t know if it’ll do much to stop a man like Thomas.”

“So what are you going to do about it?” Rhett was furious.

McGrath stayed cool, letting Rhett’s anger wash over him without a visible reaction. “I’m going to send my deputies over to his house to take him in and lock him back up.”

“Good.” Rhett relaxed—slightly.

Claire ran in, her shoulders sagging in relief when she saw us. When she came over to the table, McGrath excused himself and said he was going to make that call.

Claire slid into the booth. “I’m sorry. I was off work today and didn’t know he’d made bail or I would have warned you.”

“It’s fine,” I said, giving her a quick squeeze. “We’re okay.”

“What about you?” she asked, throwing an anxious look toward Rhett.

“I’m fine,” he said.

I looked at him closely, relieved to see that it was true. His hands were steady and the look on his face was pure determination. Despite the anxiety responses he’d had right after his accident, Thomas hadn’t rattled him.

If anything, the run-in seemed to have strengthened him. He looked like a man ready for battle. And I couldn’t help but like it.

“Eat,” Claire said, gesturing to our food. “Before it gets cold. Hey, Pete?”

He jumped up and ran over from where he’d been watching from behind the bar, clearly uncertain as to whether or not he should get involved in this whole mess.

“Yeah?”

“Did you hear Thomas threatening them?”

He shook his head. “I was on the phone, taking a to-go order. Saw him come in but couldn’t hear what he said. I was watching though. Figured I should wrap up the call and get the sheriff over here, but he left quickly and they said they were okay.”

“That’s fine,” Claire said. “Cheyenne called me while he was here. I just wanted to know what you’d witnessed.”

“Alright. You want a drink or something?”

She shook her head and snagged a couple of my fries. “Nah. I have a feeling I’m about to be on duty.”

Sheriff McGrath walked back in, shaking his head. “Bad news,” he said as soon as he got to our table. “Thomas isn’t home. No one is, actually. The front door was wide open, so Burns went inside to do a welfare check. Looks like Thomas’s wife packed up and left with the kids while he was in jail.”

“That’s not a bad thing,” Claire interjected.

“Maybe not,” McGrath said. “Except it means Thomas just lost everything. If we thought he had a reason to be angry before…”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but he didn’t have to. Claire, Rhett, and I all exchanged looks. Thomas was a snake on his best days. On his worst?

I couldn’t even imagine.

Claire’s phone rang. “It’s Travis,” she said, glancing at McGrath before answering. Her face went white at whatever Travis was saying. “I’m on my way,” she finally said, sliding out of the booth before she even hung up.

“What now?” McGrath asked, bracing himself.

She looked at me, sorrow in her eyes. I felt sick, afraid of what she was going to say.

“Diablo’s missing. Someone stole him right out of the barn. And there’s blood.”