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“You remind me of someone,” he said.
I climbed onto the stool to sit at the counter. “Well, I can assure you we’ve never met. I’ve never been to—where am I exactly?” I’d been on my way to Mason at Eagle Tactical, but all I remembered was that it was somewhere in Montana.
“You really are in trouble if you don’t know what town you’re in,” Lincoln said. He grabbed a mug and poured me a cup of coffee. “Cream and sugar?”
“Yes, please.” He grabbed a handful of prepackaged creamers and sugar from under the counter.
“Thank you.” I opened and dumped in two creamers before adding four packets of sugar.
“Holy cow, you have a sweet tooth.” He laughed and ran a hand along his jaw. “Not sure I’ve ever seen someone use that much sugar in a single cup of coffee.”
Had that been rude of me to do that without trying his coffee first? Wasn’t all coffee the same: bitter and strong?
His cell phone buzzed, and he reached into his pants pocket. His brow furrowed as he answered a text message.
“Girlfriend?” I asked. He looked puzzled. Maybe she was mad that he wasn’t in bed at this hour?
“No. Uh, my second job.”
“Oh.” I held the warm cup between both my hands, blowing on it softly before bringing the steaming mug to my lips. I inhaled the heat before letting my lips graze the porcelain. “So, you work here part-time?”
“I own the place,” Lincoln said. He put his phone away, shoving it back into his pocket. “You said your name was Ashley?”
“Yeah, that’s right.” I took another swig of my coffee to keep myself preoccupied. It was easier to lie when I didn’t have to face the man who had whisked me out of the cold and warmed me up.
“Did you get separated from someone?” Lincoln asked. He poured himself a cup of coffee, black. “I can’t fathom why you’d be out in the cold without a car.”
“I live just down the road.”
Lincoln smiled. “Of course. You probably come here all the time. I just have a terrible memory. A side effect of serving in the war.”
I took another sip, my stomach grumbled from hunger.
“How do you like your eggs?” Lincoln asked.
“What’s that?” Had he heard my obnoxious stomach growl too?
“I’m going to make you something to eat, and while I’d ordinarily offer pancakes, I’m betting you could use the extra protein. You look like you walked for miles outside. Am I right?”
Was it that obvious that I was in trouble? I covered my face with my hand. “I just got a little turned around coming from my house.” Another lie. How easily they slipped out.
“Right. How do you like those eggs? I’m going to make mine scrambled.”
My mouth watered at the thought of food. It wasn’t even being prepared yet, and already my senses could imagine the taste. “That sounds delicious.”
“I’ll be right back,” Lincoln said, heading to the kitchen.
I turned in my seat, keeping an eye on the door. I wanted to be alert and prepared in case the men who had run us off the road and shot at the SUV came back for me. I hadn’t seen them since I had escaped out of the vehicle and jumped out before the SUV plunged down into the ravine. Did they presume I was dead?
Did Mason think I was dead? As much as I’d stalked him online, I hadn’t been able to find out if he was single or had ever married. There wasn’t much about him outside of the obvious fact that he’d served in the army special forces, and now was part owner of Eagle Tactical. It was almost like he wanted people to know that about him, and that was it.
I sipped the last of my coffee, desperate for another cup. I slid off the stool and came around behind the counter. Lincoln was busy in the kitchen. Hopefully, he wouldn’t mind me intruding for a second cup.
The bell on the door rang as someone opened the door and headed inside. I ducked behind the counter and snapped my mouth shut.
“Hello?” a thick Russian accent reverberated through the restaurant. His voice boomed and echoed with each heavy step he took.
Fuck!
A second set of steps separate from the man who spoke approached the counter. “Can we get some service?” Another Russian said. He smacked the top of the counter and lifted the cup that I’d just poured.