Page 72 of 12 Months of Mayhem

Her cheeks flushed immediately, and color bloomed across her face like it had caught fire. She bit her bottom lip and looked down as she tucked a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear. I’d barely known her for two days, but I was already addicted to the way she reacted to me—like she didn’t know whether to push me away or pull me closer.

“Well,” she drawled, trying to gather herself, “I need to get some work done. Were you wanting anything?”

I knew she meant gas, or a soda, or maybe a bag of chips. But that wasn’t what I wanted.

She was.

I shook my head. “Nah, I’m good. I just wanted to come check on you.”

That earned me a real smile. One that reached her eyes. She looked like she wasn’t used to someone checking on her, and maybe even less used to liking it.

“Well, I’m here,” she said gently, then straightened up and stepped back from the counter. “Um, have a good night.”

I tipped my head to her. “You too.”

I turned and walked to the door. The bell jingled as I stepped out into the cool night air. Before the door swung shut behind me, I glanced over my shoulder one last time. She was still there and watched me with this soft look on her face, like she didn’t know what the hell to make of me—and maybe she didn’t hate that.

I made my way to my bike and swung a leg over the seat. The engine sat silent beneath me. I didn’t crank it. Didn’t even reach for my helmet.

I wasn’t going anywhere.

Maddie thought she was working alone tonight, but she wasn’t.

I hadn’t been lying when I told her it was dangerous to be out here by herself. I’d seen the way people acted at these roadside stations when the sun went down. The drunks, the addicts, the guys who didn’t understand the word “no.”

And Maddie? She was sharp. Capable. But she was also just one woman standing behind a counter at a place that didn’t have a lock on the door ever.

So I stayed.

For the rest of the night, she could think she was working alone.

But I’d be right here.

Chapter Five

Maddie

“I’m sorry, Maddie.”

I grabbed my purse from the hook by my desk in the back office and slung it over my shoulder. “Um, you just clocked in, Bonnie. The only thing you need to be sorry for is if you’re sick or quitting.” I gave her a warning look, half-joking and half-praying that wasn’t the case. I was dead on my feet, and if she bailed, I was about to work a double.

Bonnie shook her head quickly. “It’s that biker.”

I tipped my head to the side. “Biker?”

She waved her hand vaguely. “The guy that’s built like a brick shithouse. Huge.”

Ah. That narrowed it down to exactly one person. “It’s fine you told him Diamond and I owned this place. It’s not a secret. I just don’t advertise it with flashing lights and a billboard.”

Bonnie looked behind her, like she didn’t want anyone else to overhear—even though it was just the two of us in the office. “No, I mean… yes, I did tell him that, but that’s not what I’m sorry for.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Then what are you sorry for, Bonnie?”

She was ten years older than me, and it always felt weird when I had to switch into “boss mode” with her. But right now, I needed her to spit it out.

“I didn’t know he was stalking you.”

I reared back. “What do you mean?”

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