“Don’t. You earned it.” She smiled at me. “If you don’t take it, I’ll just put it on your books at the garage, like my brother does.”
If I hadn’t been so tired, I would have put it together quicker. The look on my face must have read the same. The girls started laughing again, but this time, it was at my expense. I wasn’t sure I enjoyed being the center of their attention.
“Roxy wouldn’t know anything about that, Ang. She hasn’t gone to the garage yet, and you know Aces won’t call her back.” Lulu propped her stockinged feet up on the chair opposite her.
“Seriously? I thought you would have figured it out by now,” Ang said directly at me.
“Cactus told me about the money for my car. He said he took the tip money and put it on the books. Brother?” The word felt strange falling off my tongue.
She shrugged. “I haven’t talked to him for a few days, so I’m not sure what the status of the repair is.”
“Speaking of which, I saw a Saint’s Outlaw logo during the circus. They were sneaking out the front door.” I added casually as I studied her face for confirmation. Same hair. Same eyes. However, it was more than that. It was in the way they each carried themselves—confident, slightly cocky, and in complete control of the situation. The tilt of their chins when they were right, making the world move around them, not the other way around.
I needed to pull up my big-girl panties and march my ass over to the garage. Depending on the repair, I might leave sooner.
“Yeah, that was him. He popped in for lunch, but when he saw the people with their phones out, he ordered it to go.”
All eyes were on me. “I only saw him from the back, so I wasn’t sure.” I played it off as if I wasn’t interested either way, but then it hit me. He had left so that no one would know he was an outlaw biker. “How many people do you think filmed me?” I asked, trying to hide the panic that was rising from my stomach and gripping my throat. It was only a matter of time before the video hit social media, and I needed to be gone.
“You’re front and center in every parent’s video that filmed their kid.”
I’d thrown myself directly into the heart of the circus with no thought of what it might do to me. People knew my name, what I looked like, and where I worked. There was no hiding, even if I was in danger and needed to.
The three of them laughed at what they thought was our good fortune, but once it was serious again, Angelica said the thing no one wanted to admit. “There were cameras, and some parent is going to post that online and tag us. It’s inevitable. Whatever this is, it won’t stop. I may have to speak to the firm that hires the actors. Right now, they’re choosing to eat with us, but if this blows up, we may need to create a schedule to meet customer expectations. It will piss off the other restaurants, but overall, it’ll bring in more tourists.”
My stomach knotted, and I wanted to run to the restroom, but when they sent up a cheer at the potential money we were going to make, I pretended to go along with it.
Chapter thirteen
Not Invisible Anymore
Cactus
I sat at the red light, idling my bike on my way to Angelica’s. She had some explaining to do about the fiasco that went down the other day. I’d walked into the saloon for a cheeseburger, and half of the room had their cell phones recording. I wasn’t dumb enough to think those videos wouldn’t land online—throwing all of us into a tilt-a-whirl. It was always what you didn’t see coming that did the most damage.
Angelica never spent time at the clubhouse, but anyone—including the tattooed bikers from the other day—could dig up her club connections. I wouldn’t let her take a hit for her own success, but she needed to understand how important it was to stay vigilant.
Pulling into her driveway, I parked right next to her SUV. I hadn’t been able to talk her out of staying in Tombstone, so I had bought this house, knowing I’d never kick her out. Looking at it now, the house needed fresh paint, and I’d probably have to take care of it this winter to keep the HOA off our asses. Just a bunch of boomers with nothing better to be doing, and since I was on the deed, they liked to jerk my chain. Nothing was amiss in the neighborhood, so at least that was something. The lawns were all manicured in a desert motif, no junk cars,and the sidewalks were clean. The house next door had a realtor sign in the front yard, and when it sold, I’d have to have a chat with the neighbors.
The front door opened, and my sister stood in the entryway. “You coming in or are you going to sit outside all day?” She smiled, happier than I’d seen her in a while. The saloon was doing well for the summer, and I was sure that was one weight lifted off her shoulders.
“Nah, I’m here to rob the place,” I teased her. I’d taken Ang to a local store for furniture, but she’d told me no. Said the house was enough, and if someone wanted to rob her, they wouldn’t find much. They’d be lucky to find a coffee maker. We’d been joking about it ever since.
“Lasagna’s in the oven.” She left the door open, heading back towards the kitchen.
I followed her, letting my nose lead my rumbling stomach. “Why don’t you serve this on the menu?”
“No one buys it when we do. These are only for emergencies, like today, when I’ve just had enough.”
“Talk to me about the saloon.” I didn’t give her any room to dance her way out of this, as I sat on a barstool at her counter.
She sat next to me, laying her head against my arm. “I know you saw some of it. The cowboys came in for lunch, and it turned into a cute moment for the kid, but then everyone else wanted the same treatment. There were plenty of parents filming, and the mother of the first kid is some sort of mom influencer. I made Bri look, and she instantly found it. Today, there was a line out the door and down the boardwalk, waiting.”
I kissed the top of her head. “I know you’re enjoying the success. You’ve earned it, but anyone who digs into you is going to find secrets that need to stay buried. Your connection to the club. The undercover officer who tried to infiltrate through the saloon. The chick that thought it would be easy to blackmail you.”
“I know,” she sighed. “The town protects me, but that only goes so far. I’m making a new enemy every time a new customer walks through my door. It creates animosity between the other restaurants.”
“Fuck them.”
