2. Ashley
I couldn’t getthe images out of my head. One second I’d been bending over to pick up my purse. Then I’d grabbed my travel mug of coffee and headed out the front door, afraid I was going to be late to work again. I’d stepped out onto the front porch and immediately dropped my purse and mug.
Thunder squeezed my shoulder, pulling me back to the present. “Who’s Ellie?”
My eyes snapped to his. “Gram’s favorite cow. She was expecting twins.”
“Wait, Ellie’s a cow?” Priest scowled.
“Not just a cow. She’s more like a pet. Or at least she was until…” Bile rose in my throat. I could still picture Ellie on the porch, her huge belly split open.
Thunder squatted in front of me, his big body crowding into mine. “What happened, Ashley?”
I shot a quick glance at Priest. I’d always felt like he didn’t like me, especially after what Rae went through a couple of months ago. Even though she said he didn’t hold a grudge, I still felt like he blamed me for the Savage Bones going after her. Truth was, I blamed myself. I really knew how to pick them when it came to men, and dating Razor had turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life.
“Priest, can you give us a few minutes?” Thunder asked.
“Yeah. Let me know what I can do to help.” He headed back to the conference room. The band around my chest loosened as he walked away.
“Now, tell me exactly what happened.” Thunder’s forehead creased with concern. This wasn’t the first time I’d come to him for help. Ever since things went south with Razor, Thunder had been there for me. He’d been the one to sit with me at the hospital while we waited to make sure Rae was okay. He’d also been checking in on me a few times a week at the café. I’d never been a good judge of character, but my gut told me I could trust him. He might be the only man I’d ever felt that way about. Well, maybe except for Dusty, the ranch hand who’d been working on my family’s ranch since way before I was born.
“I’m pretty sure the Savage Bones are involved. I saw motorcycle tracks on my way to Gram’s the other day. She said she didn’t see or hear anything, but once she takes her hearing aides out, she wouldn’t be able to hear a freight train if it came right through her kitchen.” The thought of those bastards being that close to my grandma made me angry enough to spit nails.
“Was anyone else around last night ?” Thunder asked, his voice low and soft.
“It was just me at the house. Gram asked me to stay at the ranch while she visits her sister in Seattle. Dusty lives on site. His cabin is about a mile farther down the drive.”
“So you were out there all by yourself?” Thunder’s voice took on a bit more grit. “And you trust this ranch hand?”
“Yes. I mean, I’ve never had a reason not to. He was my granddad’s right-hand man and stayed on after he died to manage things. Gram would trust him with her life.”
“I don’t like the idea of you being out there alone. When’s your grandmother coming back?” With his eyes slightly narrowed, Thunder looked mad enough to rip a motorcycle apart with his bare hands.
“She’ll be back at the end of the month, but I wasn’t all alone.” I tried to clear the catch in my throat.
Thunder closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before opening them again. “I don’t want to pry, but I need to know who was with you.”
“Scamp was around. That’s Gram’s dog. I let him out before I went to bed, but he didn’t come back in.” It wasn’t unusual for the dog to stay out all night, but I hadn’t seen him this morning either. “Do you think something happened to him too?”
Thunder rose to his full height and handed me a glass of water that Priest had left on the table. “Here, take a drink of this. I’m going to round up a few of the guys to head over to the ranch and check things out.”
“Don’t leave me here.” I almost dropped the glass as I reached for his arm.
“You sure you want to go back there?” He leveled me with those dark blue eyes that didn’t seem to miss a thing.
“I promised her I’d take care of things while she’s gone.” Though, I didn’t know how I’d be able to sleep in that house again. It had always been a safe place, especially right after my parents died and Gram and Gramps welcomed me with open arms. Now it seemed like the walls of that sanctuary had been breached.
“Fine. But I’m not letting you out of my sight.” Thunder held out his hand and helped me up from my chair. “Let’s finish getting you cleaned up, then I’ll drive you back over there in your car.”
“Should I call Sheriff Cade?” I’d been so rattled before, I hadn’t even thought about calling for help. The only thing I’d wanted to do was get to Thunder. Like some part of me knew that being with him was the only way I’d be able to feel safe.
He shook his head. “We can’t count on local law enforcement to help us anymore.”
“What do you mean?” My pulse spiked. “Did something happen to him? What about Addy?”
Thunder rested his palm on my shoulder. “Addy’s fine. The sheriff’s been compromised. Don’t worry, though. I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you.”
He pulled back just as quickly as he’d reached out.
“The Mustang Mountain Riders are in charge now. No matter what you need, one of the guys will be able to help.”
Did I imagine it, or was he trying to distance himself from me? It felt like we’d been engaging in some weird dance over the past couple of months. He’d say something that would lead me to believe he might see me as more than just the best friend of one of his best friends’ girls. Then he’d back off again, and I’d convince myself I’d only seen what I wanted to see.
Whatever was happening between us was probably just in my imagination. Thunder used to be a professional football player. There was no way he’d be interested in a girl like me when he could have his pick of any of the women in Mustang Mountain or even the whole state of Montana.
With everything going on, catching the eye of one of Mustang Mountain’s most eligible bachelors should be the last thing on my mind. I crossed to the sink and scrubbed the rest of the dried blood from my hands with warm, soapy water.
Once I turned off the faucet, he handed me a towel. “The sooner we get over there, the quicker we’ll get through this.”
Nodding, I folded the towel and laid it on the counter. “Then let’s go.”