5. Thunder
“That went about as wellas trying to start a fire during a thunderstorm.” I shook my head as I pulled into a spot in front of the café. Ashley and I had spent a half hour trying to get some information out of Dusty, but as much as we pressed, he didn’t give us anything useful except to say he’d already done the first application of fertilizer and was waiting for another shipment to be delivered.
“He told us everything he knows.” She pushed the passenger door open before I brought the truck to a full stop, obviously eager to get as far away from me as quickly as possible.
I rounded the front of the truck and met her on the sidewalk. “He’s holding something back. I can tell.”
“What reason would he have to lie?” She looked up at me with dark circles under her eyes. The stress was getting to her, and I wasn’t any closer to making things better.
I didn’t have an answer to her question, but something didn’t sit right with me about the ranch hand. His concern for Ashley and her grandmother seemed genuine enough, and he’d promised to get the dog over to the vet clinic so Everly could remove the rest of that damn tape and make sure we hadn’t overlooked any injuries. Still, he knew more than he was letting on. I’d bet my championship rings on it.
“I’m already late for my shift. I need to get going.” Ashley turned toward the door.
I reached it first and held it open for her. “Figure I may as well grab a bite to eat and some fresh coffee, since I’ll be sticking around town for a bit.”
“Don’t you think you should get some rest?” Her eyes softened. “You won’t be able to save Mustang Mountain if you can’t keep your eyes open.”
“I can sleep when I’m dead.” And that moment would be coming sooner rather than later if we didn’t get a handle on the havoc Savage Bones members were wreaking all over town.
“Sit anywhere. I’ll bring you some coffee once I lock up my purse and clock in.” Ashley made a beeline toward the back.
I watched her go and cursed myself for not being able to tear my gaze away from the sway of her wide hips until she disappeared from sight. Sliding onto a bench seat at a table in front of the windows, I let out a long breath. I was too damn old for her and needed to stop torturing myself by wishing for things that weren’t meant to be mine.
When she’d wrapped her arm around my neck and pressed her curves against me this morning, I would have given anything to be the kind of man who could have taken her up on her offer. But a quick roll on the kitchen counter wasn’t what I wanted from Ashley. I wanted more from her than I deserved, and a hell of a lot more than she would ever be willing to give an old man like me.
The café was busy. I nodded at a few familiar faces while I waited for my coffee. A server walked by with a tray full of food for the table next to mine. The scent of bacon and biscuits made my stomach grumble.
“Here you go.” Ashley slid a mug full of steaming black coffee onto the table in front of me. “What can I bring you for breakfast? Special of the day is a Denver omelet with hash browns and a huckleberry jam biscuit on the side.”
“Sounds delicious.” I leaned against the back of the booth and picked up my mug.
“You’re easy this morning.” Her gaze shot up to briefly meet mine. “I mean easy about making a decision on breakfast. Can I bring you anything else?”
“That’s probably the first time anyone’s ever referred to me as being easy about anything,” I teased.
She offered a tentative smile in return. “I’ll put this in right away. Just holler if you need more coffee.”
I’d be needing a lot more coffee if I planned to stay awake for the next several hours. While I waited for my breakfast, I scanned the faces inside the café, constantly on the alert for anyone or anything that looked out of place.
Orville, the town mayor, sat a few tables over. He always preferred holding open office hours over breakfast at his favorite table at the café. I didn’t recognize two of the men with him, but the third was one of the old-time ranchers who had a couple hundred acres west of town.
The crowd this morning was a mix of older folks meeting up for their daily dose of gossip and younger folks trying to fit in a quick breakfast before dropping kids off at school and heading into work. I waved back to Sage and his son as they passed by on their way to the front door.
“How was breakfast this morning?” I asked his boy.
“I think he’s still got half a bottle of syrup on his face,” Sage joked.
The boy rolled his eyes, and I chuckled. “That’s smart, saving something sweet for later.”
Sage grinned as he swiped at his son’s cheek. “See you around, Thunder.”
I didn’t know them well, but they seemed like good people. Sage had moved back to town a few months ago as a single dad and the women’s tongues were wagging about what might have happened between him and his son’s mama. I figured it wasn’t anyone else’s business, but no one bothered to ask me my opinion.
Ashley delivered my omelet on an overflowing platter. It had been a while since I’d stopped in for more than coffee. My eyes widened at the sheer amount of food set down in front of me.
“Thanks. This looks amazing.” I unrolled my silverware from the thin napkin before setting it in my lap.
Her smile seemed a little brighter. I wasn’t sure if it had more to do with her slipping into work mode or the fact that we were no longer alone. “I’ll be right back with a refill on that coffee.”
I was so focused on digging into my food, I almost didn’t notice the two guys wearing Savage Bones cuts slither through the front door. They didn’t even scan the room, just headed toward a table in the back. Based on the casual way they joked with each other, they didn’t seem too worried about being seen in a public place. Just another sign that their club was getting way too comfortable moving in on my turf.
The bite of biscuit I’d just swallowed stuck in my throat as I watched Ashley cautiously approach their table. I couldn’t hear their interaction, but they seemed too friendly toward her to be strangers. One of the guys reached out and flipped up the hem of her skirt. Within seconds, I covered the distance to their table, stepped in front of her, and stared down at the two fuckfaces.
“Don’t you dare touch her,” I warned, my fingers itching to grab them both by the neck and hurl them out onto the street.
“Ashley, Ashley, Ashley.” The blond guy with spiky hair clucked his tongue. “Don’t tell us you traded in Razor for this bag of bones. He’s been asking when you’re going to pay him a visit.”
“Thunder, meet Spike and Dunk.” She gripped my wrist and tried to tug me to the side. “I can handle this. Why don’t you go finish your breakfast? You’re just going to make things worse.”
“You should listen to her, old man.” Spike leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “If you keep making a habit of sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, you might just lose it one of these days.”
“Speaking of losing things, either one of you know who this might belong to? I’d like to return it to its rightful owner.” Every muscle in my body tensed, but I forced myself to relax as I slid the leather knife case out of my pocket.
Spike did a good job of covering his surprise. His gaze flickered to the case with no reaction. Dunk jumped so high his knee hit the bottom of the table.
“No telling who that might belong to. Where did you find it?” Spike asked.
“Just out and about. It’s kind of a nice case. Maybe I’ll just hang onto it.” I’d rather burn it than carry it around in my pocket, but I was hell bent on figuring out who it belonged to so I’d know who to take down for messing with Ashley and her grandmother.
“I didn’t know you were such a fan of the Savage Bones. There’s plenty of room at the top for a man with your experience,” Spike said.
Damn, I wanted to punch that smug grin right off his face. Starting a fight at the café wouldn’t help anyone, so I pulled in a deep breath through my nose and shook my head. “I’m going to have to politely decline. I can’t say I agree with a lot of your club’s methods.”
“Well, that’s a damn shame. If you ever change your mind, the offer stands.” Spike picked up his menu and pointed to something halfway down the page. “I’ll take the steak and eggs? Rare on the steak, sunny side up on the eggs.”
Ashley scribbled the order down on her notepad. “And for you?”
Dunk cast me a nervous glance. “I’ll take the special. Coffee too, please.”
“You got it.” She whirled around from the table and headed toward the kitchen, leaving me alone with the two assholes.
“That wasn”t so hard now, was it? I expect you’ll go back to your table to finish your breakfast and leave us in peace to do the same?” The placating smile stretching across Spike’s lips pissed me off. These two motherfuckers knew something. As much as I would enjoy the process, beating it out of them wasn’t an option.
“I’ll be watching you,” I warned.
Spike chuckled. “I’m shaking in my boots. You can’t be everywhere at once. Think about our offer. Once we’re in charge, you’ll wish you were on our side.”
“You’ll never be in charge, not if I have anything to say about it. And if you touch Ashley again or I hear any of you have been out to her grandma’s place, you’ll have to deal with me.” There was no denying my protective side when it came to Ashley.
Spike’s eyes narrowed. “I look forward to it.”
Ashley returned with two mugs of coffee and bumped me out of the way with her hip. “Your omelet’s getting cold, Thunder. Why don’t you go sit down and I’ll bring over some coffee to warm up your cup?”
“Yeah, Thunder. Do what she says and no one will get hurt.” Spike ripped open several sugar packets and dumped the contents into his mug.
If I wanted to catch them, I needed to play it smart. I was in this for the long haul. Beating the crap out of both of them would be more than satisfying in the moment, but it wouldn’t get us any closer to figuring out what the Bones were after. So I kept an eye on Ashley while I walked back to my table.
Those two might think they’d gotten the best of me this morning, but age and experience had provided me with perspective and patience. Justice was coming, and I’d be the one to deliver it.