Page 17 of Torgash

"That leaves no half on my side," I point out.

Helen's expression softens. "Well, you have me. And Savvy can't shut up about how you commanded that room when old Henderson started going at you." She grins. "And then there's Ash. That look must have meant something."

"What look?" I ask, but heat flashes through my chest even as I say it.

Helen raises an eyebrow. "The one where you locked eyes with him when you froze up there. Half the room caught it."

My stomach drops. I thought it was just between us. "It wasn't that noticeable," I say. "It was just a glance."

"It was noticeable enough," Helen says, refilling my mug. "Only takes a few sharp eyes in this town to spot something, and by morning everyone's heard about it."

Great. So not only am I working understaffed and with little cooperation, but I'm also under a microscope. Warmth spreads up my throat, settling behind my ears despite my best efforts. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Look, I've been serving coffee in this town for twenty years. I know a connection when I see one." She leans closer. "Shadow Ridge has been through hell. We're still healing. Just... be careful. People are watching, and not everyone wants to see you succeed."

"I'm not playing any sides." The words come out sharper than intended. I lower my tone and lean in. "I'm here to enforce the law. That's it."

"Maybe." Helen doesn't look convinced. "But folks in this town have been burned before. They're watching to see where your loyalties land."

"My loyalty is to the law."

"And if Ash happens to fall on the right side of it?" Helen raises an eyebrow. "Or the wrong side?"

I start to answer when the kitchen doors swing open. Savvy emerges, sleeves rolled up over old burn scars, moving with her usual easy confidence. I've read her files on Victor Hargrove. The woman's got steel for a spine.

Her gaze finds me, and she changes direction, heading straight for our booth.

"Helen, I need you on the grill," she says, authority clear in her tone. "Willie's burning the hash browns again."

Helen straightens immediately. "Yes, boss." She gives me a meaningful look before heading back to the kitchen. "Think about what I said, Sheriff."

Savvy slides into the seat Helen vacated, relaxed but ready. She positions herself so she can see both exits—old habits.

"Didn't expect to see you here this early," she says, studying me. "Thought you'd be buried in those foreclosure files after your big revelation at the meeting."

"Taking a coffee break." I meet her stare directly. "Your employee seems concerned about town politics."

"Helen worries." Savvy shrugs, the gesture deliberately casual, though nothing about her is. "She's seen this town at its worst. We all have."

"Sounds like she thinks I'm making things worse."

"She thinks you're playing with fire." Savvy's words drop, steel beneath the calm. "Helen's protective of the MC. They werethere when Victor tried to burn this place to the ground and all of us with it. When nobody else would stand against him."

Savvy gets straight to the point. No small talk, no pretense. I can respect that.

"I'm not here to undermine the club," I say. "But I enforce the law equally. No exceptions."

"And Ash?" Savvy's tone stays level, but there's steel underneath. "Where does he fit in your equal enforcement?"

My coffee cup stops halfway to my mouth. "Same as everyone else."

"You sure about that?" Savvy leans forward, elbows on the table. "I've seen how cops look at orcs. You don't look at him with the same contempt."

"How I look at anyone isn't your concern."

"It is when it affects people I care about." Her words harden. "Ash isn't just the VP of the Ironborn. He's the one who keeps fighting long after everyone else thinks the threat is gone. He spent two years making sure Victor's charges stuck, no matter whose palms got greased. He's earned loyalty here. I don't want to see that challenged."

I know better than to underestimate someone who is devoted to protecting her people.

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