Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Lynx
For the first time in quite some time, things were starting to make sense.
At least where this whole fucked-up situation was concerned, anyway.
I liked that my cousins had arrived with the intention of doing something to stop this asshole. Having to sit back and wait wasn’t my style and now it seemed that was in the past.
In fact, rather than remain on the defensive, waiting, it appeared everyone was on board with going on the offense. That was more my pace, that was for damn sure.
“I guarantee he’s on his way here,” Travis repeated for probably the tenth time. “I don’t care what anyone says, he’s headin’ back here.”
“Why do you think that?” Rhys asked, leaning against the steel beam.
“Because he’s not givin’ y’all enough credit. Think about who he is, what he’s done,” Travis stated. “The guy’s arrogant and likely believes himself to be untouchable.”
“It’s true,” Amy chimed in. “He believes he’s above everyone else. And Travis is right. He’ll think he can get to me no matter who’s around.”
“He’s smart, too,” Sawyer added. “Damn smart. He’s gotten away with a lot of shit. Not to mention, no dumbass is gonna make it to the top the way he has.”
“I still think he’s a dumbass,” Wolfe muttered, making several people smile.
“Well, he is and he isn’t,” Travis said, his tone still somber. “But he knows what he’s doin’. Riggin’ that bar to blow took brains and patience.”
“Not to mention balls,” I grumbled. My gut still churned when I thought about that shit.
“Not gonna argue with you there,” Sawyer agreed. “And because of that, I think we need to be more vigilant. It’s evident this guy thinks he’s above authority. If I had to guess, he believes he is the authority.”
“And that’s exactly it,” Amy said. “He is the authority, according to him. But more importantly, he believes he’s smarter than everyone.”
I would agree with that assessment as well, based on what I'd heard and seen. And thus far, Kelly Jackson had been. After all, he had managed to blow up the bar without anyone seeing what he was doing.
However, he hadn’t been up against the people who were in this room right now. If this asshole wanted to get close to Amy, he was going to have to go through every damn one of us.
“Good thing ’bout a small town,” Ethan said, “he’s gonna stand out. He can’t hide in plain sight. If people don’t recognize him, they’ll start talkin’.”
True again.
“However,” Travis interjected, his gaze darting to Rhys, “we do need to get the town on board.”
Before Rhys could argue, Travis held up a hand.
“And I get it, I do. You don’t wanna point fingers. And we won’t. However, we can tell everyone to be on the lookout.”
“On the lookout for what?” Rhys asked, obviously not liking where this was headed.
Travis held Rhys’s stare. “It doesn’t matter. Just that they need to pay attention. A stranger in town right now needs to be suspicious. I don’t care if they claim they’re just stoppin’ for gas. Someone needs to chat ’em up. Verify their story.”
Rhys nodded. “I don’t want anyone makin’ accusations. Not at this point.”
“Agreed,” Wolfe added. “So, no names. Just get the word out for people to pay attention.”
“I’ll take care of that,” Reagan offered.
I glanced her way. “I’m with her.”
“Good,” Travis said, agreeably. “The sooner the better.”
Reagan nodded, then reached for my hand.
“Looks like that’s my cue,” I said with a grin before allowing Reagan to lead me out of the building.
“Where to?”
“I was thinkin’ the diner.”
I nodded. “You drive, I’ll start callin’ around.”
Her smile was so damn sweet I was tempted to kiss her. Since we seemed to be in a time crunch and I was not looking forward to stopping once I started, I refrained. Barely.
Less than five minutes later, I was still on the phone, following Reagan inside the diner.
“That’s right,” I told Ed. “Round ’em up and head on over.”
“Will do,” Ed confirmed. “Give me ten minutes.”
“Sure thing.” I cut the connection and dropped into my chair after pulling Reagan’s out for her. I started dialing almost instantly.
“What can I get you kids?” Donna asked, stopping at our table.
“Some information,” Reagan replied while I waited for Jimmy Don to answer his phone.
Donna’s eyebrows shot up and a smile curled her mouth. “Well, you’ve come to the right place.”
“Have you seen any strange people around here lately?” Reagan asked.
Donna’s eyes instantly slid over to me.
I laughed, grinning up at her. The woman was something else.
“Besides him,” Donna said, jerking her thumb in my direction, “can’t say that I have. Not lately.”
“Well, we need to get the word out,” Reagan explained. “Amy’s got some trouble and we suspect the man is gonna reappear at any moment.”
Donna frowned. “What kinda trouble?”
Reagan shrugged. “Don’t know all the details,” she lied easily. “But we know he’s probably gonna come lookin’ for her.”
“This guy have anything to do with your bar bein’ blown up?”
Reagan shrugged. “Not sure yet. But it’s possible.”
“I knew that kid was in trouble,” Donna mumbled. “And I’m with you, honey. Whatever you need.”
“Good. Do you mind if we hold a town meeting in here?”
“Right now?” Donna looked a little leery.
“If at all possible,” Reagan replied.
“All right. But don’t expect great service. It’s just me here tonight.”
“No worries.” Reagan smiled. “In the meantime, keep an eye out for anyone suspicious. And make sure you tell everyone you see to do the same.”
I disconnected the call with Jimmy Don. “But keep in mind, my cousins are in town,” I noted. “They’re suspicious, but you can overlook them.”
Reagan and Donna both grinned.
“Anyone related to you is suspicious,” Donna said. “But I’m sure I’ll recognize those boys.”
“This guy’s older,” Reagan informed her. “He’ll stand out.”
Donna nodded, her eyes darting over to the door when the bells overhead rang.
Yep. The town was already starting to trickle into the diner. Exactly what we wanted right now.
Hopefully, by the time the sun went down, we’d have a few dozen eyes looking out for this asshole. And by tomorrow morning, this shit would all be behind us.
If we were lucky.
Reagan
“Let’s do right by this girl,” I continued, speaking directly to all the people with eyes currently trained on me. “She’s had a rough time and she’s part of this community now.” I paused momentarily. “She’s family.”
Several people mumbled their affirmation of that statement.
And it was true. In a small town, it took time for people to be brought into the fold.
But it was possible. I knew that these people already considered Amy one of theirs.
She was with Wolfe and Rhys, and that alone offered her protection from these people.
“So, keep your eyes open. If you don’t recognize the person, find out why they’re here. This guy’s smart, but he’s not gonna keep his cool if people are askin’ questions.”
“At the same time,” Rhys interjected, “don’t push too far.”
I knew my brother wouldn’t be able to sit this one out.
As much as he wanted to pretend that he was on the side of justice—innocent until proven guilty—he couldn’t deny that what had happened to Amy was a tragedy, and this asshole needed to be brought to his knees.
And as far as I was concerned, by any means necessary.
“So, what’s goin’ on with the bar?” someone asked from the back.
Lynx stepped forward. “If you’re interested in helpin’, come see me. We’ve got plans drawn up and permits are underway. We’re gonna start buildin’ soon. And she will be back in business as soon as we can make that happen.”
I felt the blush creep up my neck. I loved this town. Always had. And the people … they were my family, too.
“But before we focus on that,” Lynx added, “I want you to confirm that you’ll keep your eyes open. If you have any questions on that, come see me, too.”
I had to admit that I admired the way these people looked at Lynx. They saw him as family, respected him, even if they were willing to push his buttons from time to time. When all was said and done, they trusted him.
And they had good reason to, I realized. Lynx Caine had never gone back on his word, he’d never broken a promise, and more than once, he had come through for each of them.
The same way he was coming through for me.
The door to the diner opened and my head automatically turned to see who was joining us. My stomach twisted when I recognized Billy and Tammy. Together.
My eyes flew over to Lynx, but he wasn’t even looking their way.
“Hey, Donna! Can we get some service over here?” Billy hollered, drawing the attention of everyone in the place.
“Actually, no,” Donna called out. “I’m a little busy right now.”
My gaze shot over to Donna to see the older woman glaring at Billy and his … date.
It was then that I realized the place had gone silent. All the noise had dimmed, the conversations dying off.
“Are you sayin’ you’re refusin’ me service?” Billy countered, his eyes shooting from one person to another.
“That’s what I’m sayin’,” Donna shouted back.
The door opened and someone walked inside. An older man who looked oddly familiar, but I couldn’t place him. The man paused momentarily, his eyes drifting from the group over to Billy and Tammy, who were the only people seated on the far side of the restaurant.
I glanced at Tammy, noticed Lynx’s ex-wife looked completely shocked by what was going on around her. For a brief moment, I actually felt sorry for the woman. Then I thought about how Tammy had been fucking Billy while they’d both been in relationships with other people. My sympathy died quickly.
“That’s bullshit!” Billy shouted, getting to his feet.
Fully expecting Lynx or Wolfe to address the situation, I nearly fell over when the older man turned toward Billy.
“I’m a payin’ customer,” Billy announced. “And you need to do your fuckin’ job and—”
The newcomer interrupted, a frown on his face as he took a step closer to Billy. “You and me need to have a word outside, son,” he said, his tone hard, his body ramrod straight.
“Who the fuck’re you?”
“Name’s Curtis Walker,” the man stated firmly.
Curtis Walker?
I glanced over at Travis and his brothers. Then I realized why the man looked so familiar. He was a much older version of Travis. Which meant he was … his father?
“I ain’t goin’ nowhere with you,” Billy snapped. “Now if you’ll mind your own fuckin’ business—”
In a move that I would’ve expected from a much younger man, Curtis grabbed hold of Billy’s shirt and tugged him toward the door. The older man’s eyes cut across the room briefly, and then Travis and Sawyer were heading his way.
Lynx and Wolfe followed.
I was about to go with them, but Rhys pulled me up short.
“Let it be,” my brother said softly.
“But—”
“I’ll go out there, but I get the feelin’ this’ll be handled civilly.”
“How do you figure?” I knew Lynx and Wolfe. They didn’t take kindly to outbursts like that. Not when there were women around. And although Tammy wasn’t high on Lynx’s list, I knew he would intervene if he had to.
Rhys didn’t bother to respond before he marched out the door, following close behind the others. I instantly turned to find Amy standing in the corner by herself, her arms wrapped around her middle. She looked so small, so fragile.
Okay, so clearly I had more important things to deal with. My friend was obviously having a difficult time.
“Hey. You okay?” I asked as I approached Amy, trying to keep my voice down.
Her eyes lifted to mine and I recognized the fear there. It had been prominent on Amy’s face for so long.
“No,” she admitted. “I’m really not.”
Placing my hands on her shoulders, I waited until she looked at me. “It’s gonna be all right.”
Amy shook her head. “It’s not.”
“Don’t say that,” I admonished. “We’re gonna catch him and he’s gonna be locked away for a long, long time.”
I could tell Amy was pretending to believe me. I hated seeing that look, wished I could do something to help, to make Amy’s pain go away.
“I… I just need a minute,” Amy said, her voice strained. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom.”
I dropped my hands and nodded. “I’m here if you wanna talk,” I told her.
Amy’s smile was clearly forced when she said, “I know. I know you are.”
And then I watched as Amy walked away, slipping down the narrow hall to the bathroom.
I couldn’t wait for the day that she didn’t have to look over her shoulder. For the day the woman could finally settle into her new life and be happy.
I had a feeling that day would be coming very soon.
Amy
As much as I wanted to pretend I was fine, I couldn’t. That was proven by the way my hands were shaking as I ran cold water over my wrists, attempting to calm the anxiety that filled me like an overinflated balloon.
I peered up in the mirror and winced.
The woman who stared back at me looked more like the fragile, damaged woman I used to be than the woman I'd become. And the truth was, I didn’t like it all that much.
Every one of these people filling this restaurant where I used to work was looking at me as though I were a delicate flower, ready to blow away in a stiff wind.
I wasn’t delicate.
Not anymore.
In the time I'd been here in Embers Ridge, I had changed.
As I continued to watch myself in the mirror, I shut off the water and dried my hands, straightening my back. No, I wasn’t that girl anymore.
Yes, I was still terrified that Kelly was going to grab me, that he was going to finally finish what he’d started and I would never get to see Wolfe or Rhys again.
The man obviously wanted me dead. However, I didn’t want to hide behind Wolfe or Rhys or anyone else in this town.
Sure, I appreciated the effort they were going to in order to help, but it was futile. Kelly never failed.
But if one more person weighed me down with a sympathetic look, I was going to scream.
And maybe that was selfish, but I couldn’t bring myself to care right now.
I wasn’t a fragile doll they could wrap in cotton and set high up on the shelf until the danger was gone.
I needed to be a part of this, to feel as though I wasn’t the one putting everyone else in danger.
“But you are,” I told my reflection.
My face crumpled and the cycle started all over again.