Page 6 of Rattler
I picked it up and took a bite.Heavenly!I hadn’t realized how hungry I was.I’d missed supper last night, and I didn’t have time to grab anything before getting on the bus.The connection to this little town had been foremost on my mind when I switched buses in Atlanta.I’d been too keyed up to even think about food until I grabbed that muffin, and most of it had gone to the kitten.
I swallowed.“Thank you.”
“No problem.”He looked uncomfortable.I got the feeling he wasn’t used to having people thank him.“So tell me what’s going on.Why are you looking for the Riptide compound?”
I sighed.“Long version or short?”
“I’ve got time.Let’s go with the whole thing -- start at the beginning.”
So I did.From the time I’d run out on my pervert of a stepfather to my lousy choice of boyfriends and ending with last night’s fiasco.I just omitted the part where I’d brained him with the pot.I was almost a hundred percent sure I hadn’t killed him.I just wasn’t sure whether I was happy about that or not.A dead Tim couldn’t come after me, but a live one could be a problem.Then again, a murder charge wouldn’t do much for my future.
Rattler sat quietly through my monologue, a thoughtful look on his face as he sipped his coffee and let me tell the story at my own pace.
I tried not to sound like a wimp and failed.“If he can, I’m afraid he’s going to come after me.He always said he’d kill me if I tried to leave him.”
He raised one brow.“If he can?”
Damn.I hadn’t meant to tell him that.I keep my gaze glued to my coffee cup.“I hit him pretty hard with a cast iron pot.I’d been making spaghetti sauce, and it was still on the stove.I’m almost positive I just knocked him out, but it was hard to tell.There was blood and sauce all over the place.I didn’t check his pulse or anything to see if he was still breathing, but his fingers twitched and I think I saw his chest move.I didn’t want to be close enough for him to grab me if he was faking.I just wanted to get out of there before he came to.”
Rattler looked thoughtful.“Is he mafia, or cartel?Something like that?”
I shook my head.“Not even close.He’s a big shot finance guy at a brokerage firm, but he’s got lots of friends in high places.I called the cops the first time he hit me, and they sat me down and asked me what I did to piss him off.Didn’t charge him, didn’t haul him off to jail, didn’t even warn him to leave me alone.Treated me as if it was my fault he hit me.I think I was starting to believe that, believe I deserved it.He took my phone off me to make sure I didn’t call for help again.Haven’t seen it since.I kept trying to make sure I didn’t do anything to set him off, but when he threatened to shoot little Scrapper here, I kind of snapped.He’s just a kitten.He didn’t do anything wrong.”
“It’s called gaslighting.Blaming the victim for being a victim.”He grimaced.“Your ex sounds like a fucking asshole.Sorry that happened to you.”
I had to choke back tears of relief.He believed me, and hearing him refer to Tim as my ex made my day.“Thank you.”
His gaze shifted to the kitten.“Scrapper, huh?”
I ruffled the soft fur on the kitten’s neck.“It suits him.Doesn’t look big enough to be away from his mama, but he survived alone long enough to find me.”
A faint grin lifted the corner of the big, tough-looking biker’s mouth.“If you want, you and Scrapper can come with me once the cupcakes are ready.”He glanced over at the girl behind the counter.“I’m heading back to the compound and, as luck would have it, I have the truck instead of my bike.Thor didn’t think I could make it back home on the bike with a couple dozen cupcakes.At least not if I need to get them there in one piece, and he’s determined that everything Janet wants, Janet gets.”
“Thor is the guy getting married?”
“That’s right.No idea what he did to finally convince her to get hitched, but Janet is the bride.”He put his mug down on the table.“I’ll be back in a minute.Just need to visit the head.”
My confusion must have shown on my face.
“The john?The can?”He grinned.“Coffee in, coffee out.”
I felt my cheeks heat up.“Oh.”
“I’ll be right back.”He headed off in the direction of the washroom sign just as the girl came by with a coffeepot in hand.“Need a top-up?”
I nodded and pushed my cup toward the edge of the table so she could reach it more easily.
She poured the coffee with an expert flair.“I’ve never seen Rattler in here with a woman before.”
That sounded more like a question than a statement.“We just met.He’s giving me a ride.You know him well?”
She topped up Rattler’s mug.“Well enough.He’s one of the Riptide bunch.Vice President.Those guys look tough, but they help people out when they need it, and they have a code they live by.Kind of like a family, the good kind that looks out for each other.My name’s Wendy, by the way.What’s yours?”
“Lily.”I felt a fleeting touch of jealousy.My family definitely wasn’t the good kind.“Nice to meet you, and good to know about Riptide.My brother said he was going to join them when he mustered out of the SEALs, so I figured they had to be a good bunch.This was kind of a spur of the moment trip for me.”
She cocked her head.“Your brother changed his mind?”
“Not exactly.He didn’t make it back from Afghanistan.”
