Page 7 of Sackett (Demented Souls #17)

M onday Sackett turned up at the clubhouse, checking in with Tuck, Sadist and the rest of the officers on anything the Souls needed done.

At the moment, there was nothing, although they told him there would be things coming up, but they were still a few weeks out.

Too far out to worry about details, yet.

Satisfied he wasn’t needed for anything there, he signaled to Puck, today’s bartender for a drink then sat down and got comfortable at one of the tables where he could see the TVs so he could watch the news scroll across the bottom of the screen as he let his mind wander.

It hadn’t gone far when Puck appeared with a cup of coffee, Sackett’s standard before noon.

“You want something to eat too?” the prospect asked.

Sackett turned to look up at the kid, blinking as he considered it. “Do we have any sausage biscuits or burritos in there?”

“Not premade, but I can make a breakfast burrito, if you’d like.”

Sackett tried not to grimace. “Are you any better with eggs than with other things?”

Puck lifted one shoulder and let it drop. “I never had to do more than breakfast, but I can cook eggs and a few other things.”

“Good to know.” He watched the other man for a moment then decided why not?

He didn’t want to go hunting for food if he didn’t have to.

“Sure. Why not?” If nothing else it would give the prospect practice and if it was truly horrible, he had room for improvement, right?

Maybe Sackett should give the kid a couple of lessons.

When he looked up to offer, the prospect was gone, probably having headed into the kitchen to get started cooking.

Sackett shrugged. He’d see how the prospect did with a breakfast burrito, then he’d have an idea where to start with those lessons, because he already knew he needed them for burgers and more.

He was still waiting for his food when the door that led outside opened and Savage and Donna came in, hand in hand.

“Hey,” Sackett said as they approached his table. “I didn’t expect to see you here this morning.” He motioned with one hand for them to have a seat.

“We weren’t planning to come in, but decided we need a distraction,” Savage said, pulling out a chair for Donna, and making sure she was comfortable before pulling out the chair beside her and sitting himself.

“A distraction?” Sackett asked, glancing back and forth between the two of them.

“Today’s when Ms. Leighty sees the judge to see if we actually need to file the paperwork for the divorce or if I’m free of him,” Donna said with a wry smile.

She didn’t need to say who she meant by him.

Even if Sackett didn’t know all the details of her relationship with the ex, he knew who she meant and that the man was more than an ass.

Sackett had been there when the fuckwad had shown up on the ranch to try and take her back with him.

He’d helped with the show of force that had gotten her ex and the minion he’d brought with him to back off.

“Do you know when she is scheduled to see the judge?” he asked.

“Not exactly, only that it was this morning. I have no doubt she’ll let us know what she finds out as soon as the meeting is over, but the suspense is…” Savage trailed off, as if he wasn’t sure what he wanted to say.

“Tense.” Donna didn’t seem to have a problem saying how she felt about the waiting.

“That’s one word for it,” Savage agreed with a nod.

“So you’re here, looking for something else to think about.

” Sackett nodded, glancing around the room, and noticing that other than the three of them and Puck, the room was empty, at least of people.

It still held the usual tables scattered through one side of the room, pool table to one side and the couches surrounding the corner where the TV’s were mounted on either side of the stripper pole that saw far less action now than it had when Sackett had prospected.

“You got it,” Savage said. “So what are you doing today?”

Sackett shrugged. “Nothing. At least I’ve got nothing planned so far. Drifter’s is closed so I’m off today. I came in to check in and see if anything needed to be done, then decided I didn’t want to cook, so Puck’s making me a burrito.”

“You must have been desperate.” Savage winced.

Sackett gave one shoulder a dismissive lift. “He says he does a decent job of breakfast. I figured I could try it and see for myself. I also considered giving him a lesson or two in the kitchen. He can’t get any better if no one shows him how to do it right.”

“Who showed you?” Donna asked, tilting her head to one side as she watched him.

“I learned to cook when I was a kid.” He didn’t tell her he’d learned by trial and error out of self-defense.

It was either learn or eat shit cold out of the can, when his dad bothered to get groceries.

More often it was whatever piece of ass he’d brought home this week, if she stuck around for more than a night or two.

And if they stuck around long, they figured out that while his father might tolerate them getting groceries, and even pay for them, he wasn’t willing to give up enough of their attention to let them waste time cooking for the useless brat his whore mother had saddled him with.

Those were his father’s words, he’d heard them often enough he not only remembered them word for word but could also hear the derisive tone the old man had snarled them in.

Sackett realized he was staring into space toward the TVs again.

He turned back to Savage and Donna and found Savage watching the TVs as if trying to figure out what Sackett had been seeing, but Donna watched Sackett, as if she could see past what he was saying, if only to see that there was more that he wasn’t saying.

He was saved from her seeing more or asking questions he didn’t want to answer by Puck’s appearance.

He carried a plate in from the kitchen, set it in front of Sackett then turned to Savage and Donna and asked what he could get them.

Thankfully, when Puck left to retrieve their drinks, the moment had been broken.

Sackett picked up the burrito, noticed it was well rolled and didn’t appear as if it would fall apart after the first bite.

That gave him some hope that it might at least be edible.

You didn’t have to know how to cook to be able to roll a tortilla, but it took a little practice.

Sackett could only hope that practice meant more than a little manual dexterity.

The first bite told him that his hope hadn’t been misplaced.

It wasn’t the best food he’d ever had, hell, it wasn’t as good as what he made, but it was better than anything else he’d tasted that Puck had made.

He was about halfway through the burrito when Puck came back, two coffee mugs looped over the fingers of one hand that also carried a water bottle, the coffee carafe in this other.

Puck didn’t even fumble as he set down the water, then the cups, and filled all three cups before turning to Sackett, one brow lifted as if asking what he thought.

“You’re right. It is better. If you want to get better, to be able to make more than the occasional breakfast that doesn’t send someone to the ER, I’d be happy to show you a few things.”

From the way the kid’s face lit up, Sackett guessed that no one had ever offered to teach him, at least not to cook.

He wasn’t going to ask, at least not now.

This wasn’t the time or place, especially for something that could likely get personal.

He wouldn’t want to get into such a personal discussion in a public atmosphere where anyone could walk in.

Maybe during a lesson, when it was just the two of them in the kitchen, and only then if the kid was open to it.

He didn’t plan on sharing his own upbringing, so he wouldn’t push anyone else to either.

“I’d appreciate it, when you have time.”

“No problem. Maybe in a bit, or in a couple of days. It will depend on what’s going on and when we both have time. We might take a morning when Demon is covering the bar or an afternoon when we’re both off.” Sackett took another bite of the burrito and waited while the kid nodded.

“Sounds great. Let me see if I can find the schedule and I’ll let you know.” Puck hurried off, leaving the three of them sitting at the table.

Savage watched him all the way back to the kitchen then turned to Sackett, “You’re getting soft. Taking mercy on the kid like that.”

Savage shook his head as if he was disappointed in Sackett, but Sackett saw the humor in his eyes.

His brother was screwing with him for being willing to help another brother, or at least brother-to-be.

They wouldn’t be sure until Puck survived the prospect period and was voted in as a full member, but so far, there wasn’t any sign he wouldn’t made it.

“Someone has to, and I’d rather have options when I don’t want to cook than just tease and poke fun at him.

” He finished the food, used the napkin Puck had brought with the plate, then pushed the plate to the center of the table.

When he leaned back and took a deep breath.

He noticed Donna watching him again. This time when he looked at Savage, he found the other man watching Donna, a look of tenderness and something else, something Sackett couldn’t name, on his face.

Savage seemed to feel Sackett’s gaze on him, the look disappeared, and his brother turned to face him. “What did Tuck say?”

Sackett frowned and it took him a moment to realize what he meant. He’d come in this morning to check in with the ones in charge and had said as much, when they’d come in.

“Oh, nothing. No one’s here. At least not that I’ve seen.”

“No one?” Savage asked with lifted brows.

“Only people I’ve seen today is Puck and you two.”

“Did you ask him?” The way Savage tilted the top of his head toward the kitchen told Sackett he was talking about Puck.

“Not yet.” He’d been thinking about it, but hadn’t gotten around to it yet. He was having a lazy day and didn’t see a reason to change that before he had to.

Savage watched him for a moment, as if waiting for him to say something more to reveal some bit of ancient wisdom, Sackett didn’t know what.

After several heartbeats Savage looked away.

Sackett couldn’t help but wonder what the other man was thinking, but he wouldn’t ask.

Unless the other man volunteered, and Sackett knew he wouldn’t then it was his business, not Sackett’s.

They all jumped as a phone rang. Donna’s awkward smile told him it was hers, even as it registered that it wasn’t his ring tone. He couldn’t help but wonder why he was as jumpy as they were. Their nerves he understood, just not his own.

Donna checked the screen then flashed it at Savage before answering the call.

“The lawyer,” Savage’s voice held relief.

Sackett glanced back to Donna and instantly knew something was wrong.

Her face had lost all color, and she seemed to have stopped breathing, though he knew that couldn’t be true.

As he watched, her gaze flicked to his face, then to Savage.

It was clear that whatever the attorney was saying on the other end of the line wasn’t either of the things she’d been expecting to hear.

After what seemed like way too long, she pulled the phone away from her ear without ever saying a word and stared at the screen. Sackett couldn’t see what she was looking at.

“What’s wrong, babe? What did the judge say?” Savage asked.

“I don’t know. That wasn’t Selena.” Her voice shook, even as it had gone soft. Selena must be the attorney’s first name. He hadn’t caught it before but thought it fit.

Sackett scowled. Who had the attorney’s phone and would call Donna?

She hadn’t struck him as the kind of person who would let anyone borrow her phone, not to make a call that was obviously distressing.

That meant something had gone wrong. A weight settled in his stomach as he waited to hear the rest.

“Who was it?” Savage’s voice took on a hard edge he almost never used when talking to Donna.

“Noah.” The single word was barely more than a whisper.

Noah was Donna’s ex, the one who claimed they were married, and the reason Selena had been meeting with the judge. This could not be good.

“Son of a bitch.” Savage closed his eyes and took several deep, slow breaths. “I take it he has the attorney?”

The weight in Sackett’s stomach turned to anger. He thought they’d scared the little shithead off when he’d tried to take Donna from the ranch. Apparently, they’d been wrong.

Donna nodded. She swallowed several times then picked up the bottle of water and took a sip.

“Her for me. Front gate of the compound. We have twenty-four hours.” She spoke in short sentences, taking a breath between each as if she’d just run a mile and was struggling to breathe.

“What happens after twenty-four hours?” Sackett asked, the anger turning to a ball of dread, and worse.

He wanted to yell at Donna to spit it out, but he held back because he knew it would do no good and you don’t beat up on the already abused, and that’s what Donna had been when Savage had found her.

Abused by the same fuckwad who’d taken Selena.

Now that he knew her first name, it was the only way he could think of her.

“He said they’ll start cutting pieces off to show us they’re serious. Oh,” Donna said this as if an afterthought or she just remembered it, “and if we contact the police, they’ll kill her, and her body will never be found.” She rolled her lips inward and bit them.

Sackett suspected it was an attempt to keep from crying. He’d barely met the woman, and he wanted to rip this asshole’s head off personally. Why was he reacting so strongly?

“What are we going to do?” He looked at Savage, knowing they would do something. It wouldn’t be turning Donna over to them. That he was sure of. The rage he saw in Savage’s eyes did nothing to calm the burning in his own gut.

“Call Tuck and the others. We need to figure this out now.” Savage turned his attention to Donna and did his best to reassure her while Sackett started making calls.