Page 29 of Spiritwarrior (The Colemans’ Legacy #2)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

C arefully closing and locking the door, Sophie stepped back and placed a hand over her mouth. Her lips were still throbbing. The only way she had managed not to throw herself into his arms was the image of him carrying Baylin into her apartment.

The thought had been enough to let cold reason win the day. Complaining about it not being fair about how Jody affected her hormones, she went into her bedroom to take off her clothes. Naked, she went into the bathroom to take a shower. How much longer was she going to keep the facade of not being attracted to him?

Turning off the shower, she dried off then put on pajamas, then climbed into the bed. She turned off the light then rolled over to stare out the window, gradually feeling the tension leaving her body.

She should be proud of herself. She had placed Jody in the friendly zone and had made sure he wouldn’t try to cross the line again. If she was so stinking happy she had won the challenge between them, then why was she regretting not inviting him inside?

What if, instead of winning, in reality, she was the loser?

Refilling a coffee cup for the customer at the front counter, Sophie watched as Jody took the orders of three women at a table in the middle of the restaurant.

“Can I get some cream?”

Sophie returned her gaze to her customer to find two sets of male eyes studying her. “Of course.”

She went to the mini fridge behind her and took out a handful of creamers to give the men. Both were wearing Last Rider jackets. She hadn’t been in Treepoint two days before finding out The Last Riders were a motorcycle club just outside of town.

The door opening had her turning her head to see Ginny’s husband walk inside. Her jaw nearly dropped when she saw Gavin wearing the same black leather jacket. Staring, she watched as Gavin took a seat next to the men she was waiting on.

“Hello, Sophie.”

“Gavin.”

She was aware she was making a fool of herself for staring but couldn’t help herself. When she had seen Gavin each time before, he was daunting. Sophie didn’t think many people would be brave enough to take him on. In the Last Rider jacket and dressed in black, he was terrifying.

Forcing her vocal cords to work, she managed to ask him if she could get him anything.

“A coffee would be good.”

The humor in his eyes eased some of the terror in her chest.

After making a cup of coffee, she turned back to the counter to find all three men focused on her.

“Sophie, these are some friends of mine.” Gavin motioned to the man next to him. “This is Viper, the president of The Last Riders”—Gavin gestured toward the other man—“and this is Shade.”

Sophie tried not look toward the cold-eyed man whom she had been avoiding the moment he had sat down. All three of them together chilled her to the bone.

“Nice to meet you both. Thank you for coming in. Can I get anyone anything else?”

“Sophie,” Gavin’s said in a hushed tone, “Viper wants to talk to you about your father.”

She took a step back from the counter and came up against a brick wall. Startled, she turned her head around to find Jody behind her.

“Hear them out.” Jody’s hand went around her waist, urging her back to the counter.

Flustered at being so close to him, it took a second for her to concentrate on what Viper was saying.

“I wanted Reaper to introduce us so we could give you a heads-up about what your father was involved with in town.”

“I really don’t want to know what Marty was involved with.”

“I don’t blame you. I wish I could say the same. Unfortunately, Marty dragged us into his criminal enterprise, and we didn’t know until it was too late. We still don’t know all of the players involved. We’re trying to weed them out as they become known to us.”

“Weed them out?” she asked in a strangled voice.

Viper didn’t bat an eyelash. “Report them to the police, naturally.”

“Oh …”

Report them to the police? she thought sarcastically. She would kiss Viper’s ass if any official police reports had been taken from The Last Riders.

“I’ve already reported that a man contacted me the second day I opened the restaurant. He wanted two hundred thousand dollars that Marty owed him. He hasn’t been back.”

None of the men seemed surprised at the revelation.

“If he contacts you again, or anyone else does, give Shade a call, and he’ll make sure you’re protected.”

The man seated next to Viper slid a plain card across the counter to her.

Sophie didn’t reach out to take it. “I will after I make a report to the police.”

Viper gave her a cold smile. “Whichever way you want to handle it is good with us. We’ve found, to our own loss, the people involved with Marty don’t hesitate to hurt anyone getting in their way. Two of our club members were killed, and they nearly took out a woman and child belonging to another club member.”

Sickened at what her father had been involved in, she picked up the card and slid it in the pocket of her apron.

“I apologize for the tragedy Marty brought to your club. I don’t think any of his people will be back. I don’t even have anything of his. The only thing he left me was the restaurant, and I cleaned this place from top to bottom—there’s nothing here. I don’t even know where he lived or where his belongings are, nor did he leave me any money in his will. So, you see, there is no reason for anyone to come here. I don’t even know why the man did to ask me for the money Marty owed him.”

Shade spoke for the first time. “If he came here, he came for a reason. Do you know anything else about your father’s will?”

“No, but I can give you the name of the lawyer and his address.” Sophie bent down to retrieve her purse. Searching through the contents, she pulled out the card and gave it to Viper.

“Thank you,” Viper said, taking the card.

“Sophie, the customers are getting antsy.”

Sophie nodded at Jody, seeing him holding out the ticket of the order he had taken.

“I better get busy.” Excusing herself, she went to the kitchen, her mind in turmoil. Why would someone come to ask for such a sum of money? It would have been a foregone conclusion she would contact the police.

Ginny turned from the grill as she pulled out the hamburgers for her to fry.

“I just met a couple of your husband’s friends.”

“Really? Who?” Ginny peeked through the window looking out into the diner. “Oh, that’s Viper and Shade. Mind keeping the eye on the grill for me while I go say hello?”

“Not at all. Go ahead. Take your time.”

Putting the burgers on the grill, she thought again about calling her parents to stay in Arizona. They had already quit their jobs, given up the house they had rented, and loaded what possessions they had in their car. How could she tell them to wait?

She nearly burned the hamburgers and would have if Ginny hadn’t come back in time. Ginny took one look at her and took over.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, assembling the hamburgers.

“My parents. I don’t know what to do. Should I tell them to stay in Arizona?”

Ginny looked at her curiously. “What brought this on?”

“What Viper said about Marty has me worried.”

“What did he say?”

Sophie told her then said, “I’m worried about them coming here.” She bit her lip. “What do you think?”

“Would you like me to ask Gavin for his opinion?”

Sophie nodded. Then she put two of the plates in the window and carried two out of the kitchen while Ginny followed behind her.

She left Ginny to talk to The Last Riders, and Jody, who was still standing at the counter, while she carried the plates to the table of women. Logan had come in to work while she had been in the kitchen and was waiting on a lone woman customer.

The women looked disappointed when she set the food on their table.

“Is something wrong with the food?”

One of the women tapped her nails on her glass. “Could you tell Jody we all need refills?”

The sound of the tapping was like the screeching of chalk on a board.

Sophie reached for the glass. “I’ll take care of that for you.”

The woman slid the glass away from her touch. “We’ll wait for Jody.”

“Certainly. I’ll send him right over.”

Reaching under the counter, she took out a plastic pitcher and shoved it into Jody’s stomach. “Do you mind filling this up for me with ice and whatever those women are drinking?”

“Okay …?”

Taking the two other plates out of the window, she nabbed the pitcher out of his hand just as he finished.

“I can take—”

“I’ve got this,” Sophie cut him off.

The women looked angry when she returned with the pitcher and no Jody.

Setting the food and pitcher down, she glared down at the women. “Jody said he’s busy, so he made the pitcher and told me to bring it here instead,” she lied unrepentantly. “I hope that’s okay?” she said with false sweetness. “If not, I can fire him on your say-so?”

“No! No!” the women hastened to assure her.

“We can see he’s busy. We should have waited,” the nail-tapper spoke for her group.

Giving them a curt nod, she averted her gaze from Logan’s amused one to return to the counter.

Ginny had gone behind the counter, and Jody was cleaning the area they had been standing at.

He searched her face. “Is everything all right?”

“Everything’s just fine and dandy,” she snapped. “You know, I just noticed something.”

Jody swiped a cleaning cloth over the counter. “What?”

“Most of my customers are women. I find that very interesting.”

His eyes went toward the front of the restaurant. “So they are. I didn’t notice, either.”

Sophie gave him a dagger-sharp gaze. He returned it with innocent eyes.

“Does that bother you?”

“Why should it?” she gritted through clenched teeth.

Jody gave her a careless shrug. “No reason. Just asking.”

She clenched her hands into fists to keep herself from snatching the cloth from him and using it to strangle him. “Do you mind refilling the iced tea dispenser for me?” By the time he finished, the women should be done eating.

From Jody’s expression, he had gauged her motive. “Not at all.” He gave her jaunty wink before moving around her, his shoulder accidently brushing against the side of her breast. “I’m always ready to satisfy a friend in need.”