I braced. The lot had a couple of other cars, but we were just past the usual lunch rush since I wasn’t meeting the boys until two. My stance came instantly, memory carved into muscle and bone from the time I’d spent in prison, the year of having to watch my back at all times. Loose. Ready for anything.
“Bishop,” Kenny barked.
“What can I help you with?”
“You think I don’t know it was you? Heard you convinced my boy to work for you. Been filling his mind with all kinds of bullshit.”
I shrugged. “I gave him a job when he asked. Don’t think there’s a crime there.”
Kenny’s nostrils flared. “There’s a fuckin’ crime, all right. You stole from me.” He shoved at my chest.
The man had more strength than I would’ve thought, but I still barely budged. Instead, I leaned forward and lowered my voice, a growl edging my words. “Careful who you lay hands on. You’re used to picking on people smaller than you—those who won’t fight back. You know where I’ve been and what my story is. You don’t want to mess with me. I’ll end you, and no one will ever know.”
Fear bled into Kenny’s bloodshot eyes for a moment, but then his jaw hardened. “Fuck off. You don’t scare me. You just need to learn some manners. Maybe you need to know what it’s like to lose what’s yours.”
My body locked as my gaze hardened on the worthless waste of space in front of me. “Is that a threat?”
He shrugged, a grin spreading across his face. “More of a question. Do you know what it feels like to be powerless? To lose what belongs to you? Maybe those horses. Maybe something else…”
22
SHILOH
I openedthe door to the Wolf Gap Bar & Grill and stepped inside. My hands clenched and flexed as I moved through the entryway. It wasn’t horribly crowded since tourist season was still a ways off, but it wasn’t empty either. I felt eyes on me before I saw them, that grating sensation against my skin.
I looked around and saw at least three different people intently focused on me. A woman who I knew was in my mom’s quilt guild bent to whisper to her husband, her gaze fixated on me. The panic started to come—the urge to run fast and far.
Ramsey’s voice echoed in my head.One foot in front of the other.
I struggled to breathe against the constriction in my chest. What was the next step? Not all of it, simply the thing I needed to do right now. It was just that—a physical step.
I forced my legs to carry me forward towards the hostess stand.
“Shiloh.” A bright voice greeted me.
I swallowed hard and lifted my gaze to the familiar face. “Hi, Cammie.” My voice trembled as I spoke, and I hated the weakness.
Cammie’s smile didn’t falter. “Hadley’s in a booth in the back. I’ll take you to her.”
I nodded but couldn’t get any other words out, just the next step as I followed Cammie to the table, ignoring the staring people.
Cammie expertly wove through tables, and I kept my gaze pointed directly at her back, not taking anyone else in.
“Here you go. Can I get you a drink while you look at the menu?” Cammie asked.
I shook my head as I slid into the booth.
Hadley’s gaze swept over my face, concern filling her expression. As soon as Cammie left, my sister leaned forward. “We can get our food to go and head back to my place.”
God, she was the best. I didn’t deserve her, but I was grateful for her just the same. “No. I—I want to get better at this stuff.”
Hadley arched a brow in question.
“At being normal,” I explained.
She scoffed. “Who gives a crap about normal?”
My mouth curved. “I wouldn’t mind having their french fries hot out of the fryer for a change.”