“I wish he could, but there’s no room in Aunt Agatha’s apartment for a dog his size.” Seeing how Oliver had bonded to the big beast, I vowed to get him a dog when we got settled.
“But Mom… he saved me.”
“I know, sweetie. Maybe we can come back and visit him when things settle down.” At the rate everything was going, we might never be able to come back to this part of Montana. The Savage Bones seemed determined to gain control over Mustang Mountain. There was no way the small town could hold out much longer, not even with the help from the Mustang Mountain Riders.
Oliver reluctantly followed me out into the parking lot. I found my car along the fence line at the back of the property. It felt like days since I’d driven up to the gate and demanded to see Juice, but it hadn’t even been twenty-four hours. My heart had been jerked around like a toy yo-yo. I wanted to believe Juice’s promises about becoming a family, but I couldn’t risk Oliver’s safety. I was making the right move. Rationally, I knew it. But my heart broke in two as we pulled out of the drive.
I glanced in the rearview mirror and tried to think of a way to turn Oliver’s exaggerated frown into a smile. “How about we stop at the cafe on our way to Aunt Agatha’s and pick up a few pies to take with us?”
His shoulders lifted in a slight shrug. “I don’t care.”
“I heard Aunt Agatha has a pet bird. Could be just as fun as having a dog around.” It was a stretch, and I knewhe wouldn’t think a bird was as much fun as a dog, but I so desperately wanted him to be happy.
Oliver stared out the window. “Those nice people from last night had a dog.”
“Oh?” He hadn’t said anything about the hours he’d been away from me. Juice thought it was best not to grill him, and as much as I wanted to know what happened to him during that time, I’d agreed. “What kind of dog?”
“A little one. It was a poofy girl dog, not big like Sirius. I got to pet it, though.”
My hands shook and I tightened them on the steering wheel. “Were you scared at all while you were there?”
“No. They said they were my dad’s mom and dad, but I think they were lying.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Cuz you told me my dad’s mom and dad died.” He wrinkled up his nose. “I felt sorry for them. They were really happy when they told me I was their grandson.”
“They did die, sweetie. Those people from last night made a mistake. It was just a big misunderstanding.” My chest squeezed and black dots appeared at the edge of my vision. I rolled the window down to get some fresh air. I wanted him to know that Juice was his dad, but now wasn’t the time. Not when I’d just taken him away from the clubhouse.
He didn’t say anything after that. His eyelids grew heavy, and he fell asleep. I made the rest of the drive to Silver Creek in silence. While the car ate up the road, I compiled a mental checklist of all the things I needed to grab when we reached the house.
The cafe would be okay with Jeremiah running things for a little while. Maybe I’d finally call up the developer who’d been trying to buy up the properties on the block and see what he was willing to offer. Rumor had it he wanted to put in some high-rise condos.
I’d been holding onto the cafe for my mom. Seeing Juice and talking about the past reminded me of all the big dreams I’d had of making a difference in the world. It was time for me to stop making excuses for the hard hand life had dealt to me and start figuring out how to live on my own terms.
I pulled into the drive of the half-duplex where Oliver and I had been living with my mom. I carried him inside and set him down on the couch while I pulled our things together. There was no way I’d let him out of my sight. I grabbed a suitcase from the closet in my mom’s bedroom. If I hurried, we could be well on our way to Billings before it started to get dark.
CHAPTER 15
JUICE
She was gone.I searched the clubhouse, not wanting to believe she’d left me. Finally, when I stood in front of the empty space where her car had been parked, it sank in.
“Did she say anything?” I faced Thunder.
“She knew you were ambushed on the ride to the courthouse, but I didn’t hear her say anything about it. What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
“You going to let her go?” he pressed.
“Do I have a choice?” I clasped my hands together behind my neck. “Shit’s falling apart around here. I promised her I’d be able to keep her and Oliver safe. Look what happened today.”
We were lucky we got away without losing someone. The Savage Bones did some serious damage to Motor Mouth’s bike, and Shooter got clipped on the shoulder, but it could have been much worse.
“We’re going to get a handle on this. Atlas won’t let them take over Mustang Mountain.”
“I just wish I knew what the hell they were after,” I said. “A turf war is one thing, but what’s so special about Mustang Mountain? There are a hundred towns just like it all over western Montana. It doesn’t make sense.”
