“I promised her I’d take care of things while she’s gone.” Though, I didn’t know how I’d be able to sleep in that house again. It had always been a safe place, especially right after my parents died and Gram and Gramps welcomed me with open arms. Now it seemed like the walls of that sanctuary had been breached.
“Fine. But I’m not letting you out of my sight.” Thunder held out his hand and helped me up from my chair. “Let’s finish getting you cleaned up, then I’ll drive you back over there in your car.”
“Should I call Sheriff Cade?” I’d been so rattled before, I hadn’t even thought about calling for help. The only thing I’d wanted to do was get to Thunder. Like some part of me knew that being with him was the only way I’d be able to feel safe.
He shook his head. “We can’t count on local law enforcement to help us anymore.”
“What do you mean?” My pulse spiked. “Did something happen to him? What about Addy?”
Thunder rested his palm on my shoulder. “Addy’s fine. The sheriff’s been compromised. Don’t worry, though. I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you.”
He pulled back just as quickly as he’d reached out.
“The Mustang Mountain Riders are in charge now. No matter what you need, one of the guys will be able to help.”
Did I imagine it, or was he trying to distance himself from me? It felt like we’d been engaging in some weird dance over the past couple of months. He’d say something that would lead me to believe he might see me as more than just the best friend of one of his best friends’ girls. Then he’d back off again, and I’d convince myself I’d only seen what I wanted to see.
Whatever was happening between us was probably just in my imagination. Thunder used to be a professional football player. There was no way he’d be interested in a girl like me when he could have his pick of any of the women in Mustang Mountain or even the whole state of Montana.
With everything going on, catching the eye of one of Mustang Mountain’s most eligible bachelors should be the last thing on my mind. I crossed to the sink and scrubbed the rest of the dried blood from my hands with warm, soapy water.
Once I turned off the faucet, he handed me a towel. “The sooner we get over there, the quicker we’ll get through this.”
Nodding, I folded the towel and laid it on the counter. “Then let’s go.”
CHAPTER3
THUNDER
Thank fuckI’d had Ashley wait in the car. I could smell the metallic tang of blood in the air as soon as I got within a dozen feet of the porch. A few of the guys had come with me. We spread out and looked for clues. I had no doubt Savage Bones was responsible, but it wouldn’t hurt to have confirmation.
Lightning called out a few minutes later from where he’d been combing through the front flowerbed. “I found something.”
He held out a leather knife pouch as I approached. The Savage Bones logo had been embossed on the pocket.
“It’s not like we didn’t suspect those motherfuckers.” I shot a glance over to where Ashley sat in the passenger seat of her two-door compact. Knowing the Savage Bones had been so close while she slept upstairs, completely unaware and totally vulnerable, had my fingers curling into fists. “What’s their motive, though?”
“Most likely a scare tactic. She give you anything to work with?” Lightning shifted his gaze to follow mine.
“No. Obviously, things didn’t end well for Razor. Do you think they’re retaliating?” Razor and Ashley had dated briefly. Then he got mixed up in threatening Priest’s girl. His buddy lost his life in a standoff against Priest, and as far as I knew, Razor was behind bars. Though, with Sheriff Cade now working against us, no telling how long that might last.
“Could be.” Lightning lifted his head and scanned the circular drive in front of the main house. “Feels like something else is at play, doesn’t it?”
I clenched my jaw and moved closer to the remains of the cow. “Whatever it is, they’re sending a message. Think you can get some of the guys to take care of this while I go track down the ranch hand and see if he’s got anything to share?”
“Yeah, we’ll handle it.” Lightning held out his fist. “Take care, brother.”
I bumped mine against his. “You too. I’m going to have Ashley go with me. I’ll let you know if we learn anything important.”
With Lightning in charge of cleaning up the mess on the porch, I headed back toward the car. Ashley’s eyes met mine as I slid behind the wheel. Looked like she’d been crying.
“You holding up, okay?” I asked as I started the car. I’d rather be straddling my bike right now, but I hadn’t wanted to make her drive herself back out to the ranch after what she’d been through, and having her sit on the back of my bike wasn’t an option. I was old school about not having a woman ride with me unless she was mine in every way possible. Since I’d never felt that way about anyone, it made sense that I always rode alone.
“I’m fine.” She sniffled and swiped her fingers over her cheek. “What did you find?”
“A knife pouch with the Savage Bones logo. Figured it was them, but now we have the evidence to prove it.” I shifted into drive and eased my foot off the brake. “Where do you think we can find that ranch hand this time of day?”
“I can call him and find out where he’s working this morning.” She pulled her phone out of her purse.
