Page 5 of Her Protective Biker
I understood. Still, as I watched Deadeye walk out of the diner, I knew I wasn’t about to let this go.
******
Lucky and I’s lunch with Deadeye had put me behind on a brake job for a customer.
Being distracted didn’t help.
I was finally finishing up, but one glance out the garage door told me the sun had long since gone down.
“Why is there a fucking cat in this box?” Wrench asked.
I could just make out one orange ear sticking up from over the cardboard. “That’s Peaches.”
“You were the last stray I took in, don’t tell me I have another,” he deadpans.
Technically, Nomad was the one who’d brought me in, but Wrench gave me a purpose at Rust Valley Garage after I finished my time as a Prospect.
“I’ll take him back to Snuggle Squad.” I scooped the big cat into my arms and grimaced when he immediately tightened his claws into the leather of my cut. “This thing was built to save me from road rash, but somehow you put a hole in it?”
Wrench raised an eyebrow, muttering Snuggle Squadand shaking his head.
I walked to the end of the Rust Valley driveway and headed up the road towards Hannah’s place. A flash of bright white caught my eye and I saw a cat dart through the bushes. I hadn’t walked far enough to be inside the perimeter of Hannah’s fence.
Something wasn’t right.
For the escape artist in my arms to be wandering was one thing, but once I looked around, I caught a few sets of glowing eyes. It was late evening and there were no lights on inside the rescue center. Hannah’s SUV wasn’t parked out front either, but there was a white panel van with its rear doors open facing the front door.
“Sorry, Peaches, you’re going to have to fend for yourself.” I put the big cat down, grabbed the gun out of the waistband of my jeans and started towards the open gate. I could hear muffled voices that were way too deep to be Hannah. I’d never seen anyone else working at the rescue. Did she have a boyfriend? The idea had me clenching my teeth.
Two men came out the front door just as I was about to round the gate. I pulled back into the shadows.
“Bitch must have them somewhere else. We’ll hunt her down and find out.”
As much as I wanted to bust some skulls, I hung back until the van pulled out of the driveway then pulled out my cell. “Deadeye, we might have a problem.” I filled our Enforcer in on the development as I walked through the front door of Snuggle Squad Rescue.
Still couldn’t believe she’d named it that.
There were a few cats hiding in corners and under the desk. Everything else was chaos. Papers spread around, every cage door opened and furniture turned over.
At least they didn’t break the windows.
“You think these are the guys we’ve been watching out for? The ones who tried to break into the Black Crown?” Deadeye asked through the phone.
“Could be. Can we get the Prospects to watch the place until morning?”
“Done.” He hung up. Our Enforcer was a man of few words, but luckily, he was also a man of action.
I sent off a text to Wrench to let him know the deal then started putting things back to rights. I didn’t want Hannah to come back and see this. She didn’t need to worry about missing cats, or see how her dream rescue had been torn apart.
“Shit,” I turned to see Wrench standing in the door running a hand through his salt and pepper beard. “You weren’t kidding.”
I nodded. The Prospects arrived not long after. “Tank, go stand guard up front. Jet, start rounding up cats and put this place back together.”
Wrench headed out but I couldn’t convince myself to leave. As I was watching the woods for glowing eyes, Peaches sauntered up and wrapped himself around my ankle. “You again.”
I started walking the perimeter of Hannah’s property, looking for anything suspicious or weak spots in her security.
Peaches trotted along beside me, circling my ankle whenever I stopped.
