Stone Cold Cowboy(103)
His mind spun one dark thought after another; all of them ended badly.
He jumped when his phone rang. He swiped the screen to accept the call and put it to his ear without looking to see who called and desperate to hear Sadie’s voice. “Sadie, where are you?”
“It’s Agent Cooke.”
“What now?”
“Something is going down right now. I’m not sure what, but I got a cryptic message from Beck about Connor going off on some drug-induced tirade. I take it Sadie isn’t with you.”
“No. She found the hole Connor’s been hiding in. She gave him an ultimatum to turn himself in today or she’d turn him in.”
“Where should she be?”
“At work.”
“Hold on. I just got something.”
Rory held the line, with his patience straining against the precarious grip he tried to hold on to for Sadie’s sake. She needed him calm and thinking clearly, not going off half-cocked and out for murder if her brother put her in harm’s way. Again.
Sadie cleared the dirty dishes from a table and loaded them into the plastic tub. She pulled the wet rag from her apron and wiped down the table. Tired after her shift and ready to go home to Rory, she picked up the heavy tub and carried it back to the kitchen and set it next to the sink.
“Here you go, Ronnie.”
“Thanks a lot.” The sarcasm in the young guy’s words made Sadie smile. He worked hard, but didn’t really like cleaning up at the diner. Still, he made decent money for a high school senior.
“You headed home to that smokin’ hot man of yours?” Luna stared at her from the other side of the counter. She stuffed her order ticket into the carousel and spun it toward the cook.
“I am. We’ve planned a sunset picnic.”
Luna gave her a saucy smile and a wink. “Going to have something hot and sweet for dessert under the stars?”
The smile bloomed easily on Sadie’s face and in her heart. “I hope so.” Sadie worried about her friend working the late shift and getting off in the wee hours of the morning. “Careful driving home tonight. It’s awful dark on those back roads.”
“I will. We need a girls’ night soon.”
“Definitely.” Sadie wanted to share her news with her best friend, but first she needed to clear the air with Rory so they could celebrate.
The bell over the door jingled. “Hey there, Wayne. How’s my favorite customer.” Luna and Wayne had a regular Tuesday and Thursday night dinner date. Wayne ate here each week. Same days. Same time. Always in Luna’s section. He ate, but he really came for her company.
“I’ll leave you to your hunky cowboy.” Sadie winked at her friend.
“He’s my guy,” Luna said with such affection, Sadie believed she really did have a soft spot for the silver-haired man.
“Have fun. I’m outta here.” Sadie stopped off in the small office to collect her purse and sweatshirt. She pushed her arms through the sleeves and zipped up the front over her white T-shirt and black denim skirt. Her feet ached in her black boots. She couldn’t wait to get home and take them off. Well, after her dinner with Rory. They had some things to talk about, but she knew it would all work out. It had to. For their sakes and the baby’s. Life couldn’t be so cruel to take her mother and father so young, then bring Rory into her life to show her real and true happiness, only to take it away before they’d really had a chance to live the life they both wanted. Yes, things hadn’t happened the usual way for them, but they loved each other. They deserved a chance to be happy.
She had Rory and the baby, and all she needed now was to end this business with her brother. Stop him from stealing Rory blind, and get him to accept that he needed to take responsibility and pay the consequences of his actions. When faced with jail or death, most rational people would choose a life behind bars to no life at all. Her brother hadn’t acted rationally in a long time. She hoped he found a clear moment to realize she was trying to save his life.
Sadie walked back through the kitchen area, waved goodbye to Ronnie, and stepped out the back door, breathing in the cold evening air. She dug her keys out of her purse and headed for her truck. Halfway across the parking lot, she stopped midstride, pivoted, and headed back to the diner to grab two thick slices of apple pie to take on her picnic. She’d smelled the sweet, cinnamon scent all afternoon and craved a slice. She hadn’t eaten in hours. Her stomach grumbled even at the thought of food.
Shoes scuffed across the blacktop behind her, rushing and drawing close. She turned to look over her shoulder just as someone grabbed her around the chest, his hands locked in front of her. She couldn’t move her arms, but struggled to get free.