Derecho (Silver Ridge Ranch #3)

1. Lachlan

Lachlan

THREE YEARS AGO…

“I really think you should let me take some photos of you working on it. This car is…the amount of work you’ve put into the restoration is incredible, Lach. I’m proud of you.”

My little sister, Jessie, was absolutely beaming at me, somehow bouncing up on her tiptoes while still managing to maintain her balance.

I tried not to hover; Jessie was almost to the point in her pregnancy where she could give birth, and I was the family member tasked with making sure she didn’t over do things today.

Well, at least until I could get her out to the ranch later.

She had a bunch of girly baby shower shit to figure out with our mom and her friends once she was there.

An auto garage wasn’t an inherently safe place for a pregnant lady, but try and tell that to my sister—who’d been working here with me for the last few years. Honestly, she was a godsend in the office, dealing with all the paperwork bullshit that I didn’t want to even think about.

“You think it could really be something?” I asked, running my hand along my jaw to stop myself from reaching out for her.

I knew I’d get my hand slapped away if I tried, and pissing off Jessie wasn’t a part of my game plan—for today.

I was still her older brother, even if I was the youngest brother she had, and that’s just what brothers were supposed to do.

“Yes. If we market this in the right way, I think you could have people calling here for all sorts of projects. It might be just what we need to keep this place open!”

It wasn’t much, but my mechanic’s shop was my happy place. Somewhere that I could go to just find some peace and quiet, away from my big family. Away from the expectations. I’d always felt I needed to do more at our family’s ranch, even though that life would never be for me.

Yeah, sure, I wasn’t swimming in success over here, but there was something to be said that all the older ladies in town trusted me with their oil changes. Even if my sister was pissed at me because I never charged them for that service. Some things were more important than money.

Running my fingers across the freshly sealed paint of the car I’d been restoring in my free time, the stiff muscles in my shoulders and back finally relaxed. Jessie had already disappeared into the office while I let my mind wander.

Could I really do it? Could I still take care of all the cars that needed service in town and focus on more projects like this?

I hit the controls on the lift to raise the car. Jessie could get some shots of me working underneath…that would look good for advertising.

Just as the car reached the lift's upper limits, the door behind me opened, a small chime coming from the bell we had hanging over it.

I turned, taking in the two men standing before me.

One had his hands in his pockets, eyes scanning the place, while the other seemed surprised to see me standing there, watching them.

“Sorry, guys. Shop’s closed today. If you’ve got car trouble, you can leave it with me, but I won’t be able to look at it until tomorrow at the earliest.”

My shoulders squared, something in the pit of my stomach ringing alarm bells.

“Hmm. We certainly were expecting this place to be closed. A real fucking bummer that you’re here. Anyone else in here with you?”

I coughed, my eyes bouncing to the tool cart next to me. Jessie was in the office. My super pregnant sister who I was in charge of keeping safe today until we got out to the ranch. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Nah, it’s just me. Working on a pet project.”

“Mack, check the office. Maybe we’ll get lucky and she’ll be here. Sure as shit would save us some time.”

“There’s no one else here.” I could hear the desperation in my goddamn voice. And based on the smile that crossed this guy Mack’s face, he’d heard it, too.

“Ah, looks like it is our lucky day.”

Jessie walked out of the office, her hands held over her belly. While the two men were distracted looking at her, I wrapped my fingers over the largest wrench on my cart, slipping it down next to my leg.

Fuck. Jessie’s face had drained of all its color, and her eyes were wide as she walked back toward me. “What seems to be the issue? I heard my brother explain the shop is closed today. We can help you if you stop back in tomorrow.”

“See, that’s the problem. My friend and I won’t be in town tomorrow. And what you have, well, we really need.”

“A car part? We haven’t kept spares here in years,” Jessie answered. “If it’s something other than a basic air or oil filter, we’ll need to order it in. And I was just looking over the orders—there’s nothing here that isn’t already accounted for.”

“Not a car part, honey. We have a very particular client who won’t be very happy with us when he learns we’ve misplaced something valuable of his.”

“I’m not following how we can help.” I shrugged, my feet inching closer to my sister. I could tell she was trying to put on a brave face, but she’d started to sway beside me.

I needed to get her out of here.

“Not you. Her. We need to know where it is.”

What the hell? “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jess shook her head as she ran her hand over her belly.

“The thumb drive. He said he gave it to you. That you had it. We’re not leaving here before we figure it out.”

“I don’t—”

“Call him,” Mack said to the other guy. “Tell him he needs to show his face. This is his fucking mess, and we shouldn’t be here doing his dirty work.”

Silence filled the space, but I began shuffling slowly—very, very, slowly—in front of my sister. If they had a weapon…if they had a gun…I wanted to be in front of her and my niece.

“Get behind me,” I whispered, so quiet I could barely hear the words myself. But she started moving, and some of the panic eased in my chest.

“Get your ass in here. They’re not fucking talking,” Mack barked over the phone.

A minute later, a man covered from head to toe in black strolled into the shop.

Oh, God. These assholes were going to try and hurt us.

The third guy was holding a baseball bat.

Without thinking, I began bouncing the adjustable wrench in my hand up and down.

Let him think about taking a swing at us, knowing what would be swinging back at him.

“Now. Where is the thumb drive?” Mack was staring right at Jessie, but I knew it had to be some sort of misunderstanding. We didn’t have anything like that at the shop.

“I-I don’t have anything. I don’t have a thumb drive.

You can go into that office and look. The laptop we had before was stolen and the replacement one we’ve been using is so old, the ports stopped working years ago!

” A tear slipped down Jessie’s face as the asshole took a step closer to us.

I moved my hand out immediately, tucking Jess the rest of the way behind me.

“That’s where you’re wrong, little Mama.

You’ve had it all along.” Mack flicked his finger towards the guy in the mask.

“He told us so. And since this place was meant to be empty today so we could tear it apart and find the fucking thing, I think it’s the universe’s way of helping us out…

putting your pretty little self right in our path so we don’t have to go through the hassle. ”

“Who the fuck are you?” I spit at the guy in the mask. He used his free hand to roll up the sleeve of his shirt, and in an instant, my whole world fucking crumbled. Because my best friend had the same fucking tattoo in the same fucking place.

The guy who’s name still hadn’t been given laughed before turning to me. “Look, man. We don’t have time to tell you all the fucked up details. We just need to know what you did with the thumb drive.”

I looked over my shoulder at my sister. “Jess?”

“I swear, I don’t know anything about a thumb drive.

We store all of your business stuff right on the laptop in the office.

After the first one was stolen from my room, I’ve only restored a few things digitally.

You know before that, we kept things on the computer or printed out in the file cabinet. I haven’t used a thumb drive in years.”

I nodded. “You heard my sister. We don’t have what you’re looking for.”

The nameless guy lunged, pushing me as his hands wrapped tightly around Jess’s arms. Her screams filled the entire garage as he pulled her away, Mack charging me as I lifted up the wrench in my hand, ready to swing.

I was about to put these fuckers six feet under.

It might have been just me against them, but I wasn’t about to let them hurt my sister or my niece.

I was so consumed with getting to Jess that I was fucking blindsided when a large body shoved into me, pushing me back into the control box for the lift. I fell to the ground a second before the lift started moving, and in an instant, I was trapped.

Sharp, fire-fueled pain flooded every nerve in my body. It consumed me. Not just the part of my body I couldn’t see any more—my left leg felt like it was just gone, crushed beneath the weight of the car. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t do anything except try my hardest to stay awake for Jess’s sake.

“LACHLAN!” My sister screamed my name as she stumbled towards me.

I needed her to get away. They were going to hurt her. And now…fuck, I was starting to lose my grip on…everything.

“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay, Lach. I’m going to get help.”

“Get…outta…here…” I tried to push her away.

“NO! I just need to get to the office. My phone…my stupid phone!”

The corners of my vision started to go dark before everything went black. I couldn’t see her anymore. The pain that had consumed my body was dull, and everything felt miles away from where I was starting to drift to.

“Jessie…you need…the baby…”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m getting you help. We’re fine. And you’re going to be fine, too.”

My poor sister’s sobs were the last things my brain registered before the darkness completely pulled me under.