Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
WEST
It didn’t take long for the rest of the guys to arrive, and in a matter of minutes, every man who worked at Alpha Omega was gathered around the conference room table.
We’d even conferenced in our man, Trent, who’d relocated to Oregon to be with the woman he loved, and was now setting up shop and expanding the AO name out on the West Coast.
Once everyone was settled, Lincoln spoke up from his place at the head of the table. “All right. Now that everyone’s here, start from the beginning.”
I did just that. I’d already filled the guys in on how I’d come to meet Stella Ryan in the first place, but I went deeper this time, telling them everything I’d found out over the past few days about the con the patriarch of the Ryan family had pulled on Grady O’Brien, and how he was now out for blood, as well as what he felt he was owed.
“I’ve heard rumors about O’Brien,” Lincoln said gruffly. “He’s not known for being the brightest tool in the shed.”
“He’s a straight up dumb-ass,” Trent added, his disembodied voice coming through the speakerphone.
“Worked a job a couple years back that had me crossing his path. The guy’s pretty much the black sheep of the family.
Only reason he’s got any clout is because his uncle’s a big player, basically runs shit over there on the East Coast, but the nephew’s a fuck-up, and there isn’t one person in that family who doesn’t know it.
He’s an embarrassment; it’s no wonder he got taken by your girl’s old man. ”
Linc’s shrewd gaze came to me. “So how do you want to play this?”
I let Trent’s intel sink in as my mind tripped over all the ways I could go about handling this situation. “I think I want to set up a meet.”
“With Grady?” Bryce asked. “You think he’d be receptive to anything you have to say?”
“Not with Grady,” I answered. “I’ve done a little digging on my own, and he’s one of the smallest fish in that particular pond. I want a meet with his uncle. If I play this right, let him know Stella and her whole family are under our protection, I think we can reach an understanding.”
There were certain perks that came with this job.
Alpha Omega might have set up shop in a small town in the middle of nowhere, but we had a reputation that spanned the entire country, and we had that reputation for a reason.
If you were smart, you did everything you could to stay out of our crosshairs.
“I’ll make some calls, see what I can do,” Lincoln said. “But you’re not going alone. I want Hunter and Xander at your back.” He paused to run his eyes over everyone at the table. “That work for everyone here?”
“Prefer if we could work that motherfucker over the same way he did a woman half his size, but if this is the play, I’ll back it,” Xander grunted, saying more words in that single sentence than he did most days.
“All right, then it’s set. I’ll let you know when the meet’s taking place,” Linc told me.
“There’s one last thing,” I said before anyone had a chance to get up out of their seats. “Stella’s landlord is a little too free with his position.”
Hunter’s brows went up. “Meaning?”
“Meaning, he doesn’t think anything of going into people’s apartments without an invitation—especially if they’re single and female.
” I clenched my jaw, the muscle ticking manically as I thought of all the things she’d told me, but only after I pushed for the whole truth.
She’d tried downplaying the whole thing, but I could read it on her face, she’d been holding back.
It seemed to be a habit with her. She was so determined to handle everything on her own, without asking for help, that it had felt like pulling teeth.
But when she finally told me the whole story, I wanted to find that son of a bitch and rip his head off.
“The man’s the very definition of a predator, taking what little power he has and holding it over weaker people. She doesn’t have proof, but she knows he’s been in her place when she’s not home, and things have gone missing.”
“What’s gone missing?” Marco asked.
“Money, a few pieces of jewelry that weren’t really worth much, but it’s the principle. Then there was underwear and a few bras.”
“Are you kidding?”
I shook my head, the venom in Cord’s voice mirroring what I was feeling inside. “She tried excusing it away, saying she probably just lost the stuff, but I’ve known assholes like that.”
“We’ve all known assholes like that,” Bryce gritted. “So we gonna pay this asshole a visit.”
“That’s the plan.”
“Then I’m in.”
I agreed to take Bryce and Hunter with me whenever I planned to take that particular trip, and the meeting concluded shortly after.
I left the conference room, feeling good that the wheels on Stella’s situation had finally been put into motion, but that relief was short-lived when I rounded the corner into the reception area and saw the small crowd that had grown in such a short time.
“Son of a bitch,” I groaned, looking up at the heavens for some kind of divine intervention.
“Weston Scott,” Eden Sheppard, Linc’s wife, chided, propping her hands on her curvy hips.
Behind her stood most of her crew. I guess the ones not there couldn’t get away from work.
There was Marco’s wife, Gypsy. Bryce’s pregnant wife, Tessa.
Dalton’s woman, Charlotte. Then there were the wives of my HVPD buds, Nona and Hayden.
“You started seeing someone and didn’t tell us? ”
I hoped Sage brought Stella back in a good mood after their lunch. Because she was about to experience trial by fire.
Stella
The smells that greeted me the moment I stepped through the doors and into Evergreen Diner made my mouth water and my stomach call out loudly to be filled with whatever was putting off that incredible aroma.
“You’re going to love this place,” Sage informed me as she led the way through the tables, all full, toward an empty booth by a window.
I didn’t doubt her for a second, but it wasn’t the food I was concerned with.
It was all the attention the bruises on my face were getting from the rest of the patrons.
A wave of self-consciousness slid through me, and I quickly lowered my head, trying to hide behind a curtain of my hair as I tucked myself into one side of the booth.
“It’s really crowded,” I murmured in a small, weak voice. “Maybe we should have gone somewhere with less people.” I cast a glance up at Sage sitting across from me. “Is everyone still staring?”
Sage’s hand came across the table and rested on top of mine. “Lift your head up, babe.”
The way she said it was gentle, kindness infused into those words, but there was no hiding that it was an order, and I did as she said for the simple fact I was shocked into lifting my gaze to meet hers.
“They’re just bruises. You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about. You did nothing to earn them, so don’t hold on to shame that isn’t yours. That belongs to the son of a bitch who’d dare to take his hands to a woman.”
She was right, and looking at it from her perspective had me squaring my shoulders and lifting my chin a little higher.
“There you go,” she said with a smile. “And believe me. As soon as West gets his hands on the guy that did that to you, the asshole’s going to wish his mom had swallowed instead.”
I let out a snort at her colorful words, and was just about to tell her West and I didn’t have the kind of relationship where he’d exact justice on my behalf, when a short, plump woman with curly hair that bordered on frizzy stopped at the end of our table.
“Hey there, darlin’. How’s it going?”
“Hey Sal. It’s going good. Just wanted to bring in my new bestie to try some of the best food in all of Hope Valley.”
The woman’s face flushed pink at Sage’s praise as she looked at me. I saw her register the bruising, then saw her push past it and give me a polite grin that didn’t hold even an ounce of pity. “Glad to have you, hon. I’m Sally. I run this place with my pain in the ass husband, Ralph.”
“What was that?” a booming voice called out from the back of the diner, and a second later, a big, bearded man’s face popped up in the pass-through behind the counter that led into the kitchen. “I heard my name.”
“Surprised you can hear anything, you old goat,” Sally shouted—yes, shouted—back. “You’re only hard of hearing when I’m asking you to take the damn trash out!”
“Woman, would you get off my back! I said I was sorry a million times. What more do you want?”
I looked around the diner and noticed that no one seemed bothered by the loud—and admittedly hilarious—argument taking place.
“How about a husband who takes the damn trash out!”
“Man, I can’t wait for you to be old enough for me to put you in a home,” Ralph returned.
“Oh please! I’ll have murdered you long before that time comes.”
“They do this all the time,” Sage leaned in and whispered to me. “Might be hard to imagine, but they really do love each other like crazy. Been married for years. Part of the draw to coming here is the show you get with your meal.”
I could see that. As it was, it was hard not to burst out laughing as the husband and wife continued to fight.
Eventually, Sally looked back at me. “Sorry about that.”
“Not a problem. I’m Stella, by the way.”
“She’s West’s woman,” Sage informed her, catching me completely off guard.
“Oh, I’m not—”
“Hoo-wee!” she cried, slapping her thigh. “Ralph! Another one of them Alpha Omega guys has landed himself a looker!”
“That’s not—” I tried again, but was interrupted when Ralph’s bearded face popped back up in the pass-through.
“Which one?”
“West!”
“Really, guys, it’s not what you—”
“Damn it all to hell!” Ralph bellowed. “Had my money on Hunter being the next to bite the dust. Just lost myself a hundred big ones.”
“Damn it, Ralph! Will you stop betting our money! You’re terrible at it!”
“Well if those boys would get their heads outta their asses, I wouldn’t lose so much damn money!”
Ralph’s gaze came to me then, his eyes narrowing as he studied me the best he could from a distance. “What happened to her face?”
“Bad guy worked her over,” Sage announced on my behalf. “Don’t worry. West’s on it.”
Ralph gave a decisive nod. “’Course he is. Those boys don’t mess around when it comes to protecting what’s theirs.” Then to me he said, “You’ll have the chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes. Best in three counties. Make the gravy from scratch too. You want corn or green beans as a side?”
What in the world was happening right now? All I could come up with just then was, “Uh . . .”
“You’ll have the green beans,” Ralph said definitively.
“How about you let the girl order for herself?” Sally snapped.
“’Cause it’s a waste of time!” He looked back to me and asked, “You like chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“’Course you do. ’Cause everyone does. You like green beans?” I grinned and nodded, not bothering with words, because I was pretty sure they didn’t matter. “Well, all right then.”
“Same for me,” Sage ordered. I wasn’t sure if that was because it was what she really wanted or was just trying to prevent another argument.
Sally left a minute later to grab our drinks, and I looked to Sage in bewilderment. “You weren’t kidding about the show.”
She shot me a wink from across the table. “Oh, honey, just you wait. Hope Valley might be a small town, but it’s never lacking for entertainment.”
I didn’t doubt that. Question was, would I be here long enough to experience it?