Page 7 of Rattler
She gave me an awkward pat on the back.“I’m sorry.I really need to learn to mind my own business.That sucks.”
Yeah.It really did.He would have made sure my stepfather kept his hands to himself.“Thanks.”There wasn’t much else to say.
“Well, the Riptide guys will look after you.”Her eyes twinkled.“And you’ll get to help the old ladies with the cupcake tasting!”
I wasn’t so sure about that.Not like I was part of the group or anything.Rattler came striding back to the table just then, and Wendy gave him a friendly smile before heading back behind the counter.
“Wendy taking care of you while I was gone?”He slid into the seat across from me.
“She was giving me the lowdown on Riptide.”
He groaned, a comical expression on his face.“Hopefully it was all good.”
I laughed.“It was good.She didn’t divulge any deep, dark secrets.”
He took a mouthful of his coffee.“That’s because she doesn’t know where we buried the bodies.”
I was pretty sure he was kidding, but after my altercation with Tim, the image that brought up was a little more comforting than it should have been.
Just then, a woman came out of the back holding two big cake boxes.She set them on the counter and glanced over at Rattler.“All done.Sorry about the wait.We thought you were coming in later.”
Rattler stood.“No problem.How much do I owe you?”
The lady shook her head.“Thor took care of it when he placed the order.You’re good to go.”
“Thanks.”He turned to me.“You and little Scrapper ready?”
I picked up my coffee mug and gulped down the last mouthful.Making sure Scrapper was secure, I shouldered the backpack.“Lead on.”
Rattler strode over to the counter and picked up the two boxes.I noticed he didn’t offer to relieve me of my backpack, and I appreciated it.No matter how nice he seemed, I didn’t trust him far enough to let him separate me from the few things I had left to my name.
* * *
Rattler
I couldn’t remember the last time a woman had grabbed my interest like this.Not I-want-to-fuck-her interested, although that was part of it.More like I wanted to get to know her interested.She’d risked her life to save a stray kitten.A fucking tiny ball of fur!
As Vice President of Riptide, I had the usual group of sweetbutts throwing themselves at me on a regular basis.When I first landed stateside, I’d taken them up on it.A lot.Hadn’t gotten any fucking action in the SEALs, at least not that kind of action.But the novelty wore off pretty damn fast.I had to respect the women who were confident enough to sleep with whichever guy took their fancy that night, but that scene wasn’t for me.
I was no bloody saint, but even I had standards, and I wasn’t into sharing.
Lily’s brother Jack had been a stand-up guy.I had no doubt that if he hadn’t been blown away on that last mission, he’d have made a great addition to the Riptide family.And he sure as hell wouldn’t have allowed anyone to treat his baby sister as their personal punching bag.
I put the boxes of cupcakes down on the hood of the truck and held the door open so Lily could climb in with her backpack.She held that fucking thing like it was the most precious bag on the face of the earth.To her, it probably was.Her entire life was in it, not to mention that silly little furball.
“Thank you.”She settled onto the bench seat and reached for the seatbelt.I retrieved the bakery boxes and handed them to her.She gave me a blank look.
“Put them on the seat, between you and me.That way they won’t slide around and get messed up.”
“Oh.Right.”She took the boxes and placed them carefully on the seat.
I pulled the gun out and offered it to her, butt first.“You can have this back if it makes you feel safer, but you have to promise not to shoot me, or any of my pals.”
She looked stunned.“You trust me with a gun after I pulled it on you?”
I shrugged.“If I didn’t think you were trustworthy, I wouldn’t be taking you back to the compound with me.Think of it as a gesture of good faith.”
She took the gun and slid it into the backpack, earning herself a grouchy meow from the kitten.“Thank you.”
