Page 161 of Hard to Hold
Rhys shook his head. “Unfortunately, due to the tourists we see comin’ through to Dead Heat Ranch, people aren’t as vigilant as they could be. We see a lot of strangers, so most people don’t notice them unless they stick around for a while.”
Which meant Kelly could’ve come into this very diner and had breakfast, and no one would’ve been the wiser. The thought made my stomach churn.
The bells over the door jangled again, and once more, all eyes strayed to the door.
I looked up to see Lynx making his way over. He stopped and greeted Travis and Gage, then they went through the introductions once more before Lynx grabbed a chair from a neighboring table and took a seat beside me.
“You okay?” he asked, nudging my knee with his.
I peered over at Wolfe’s cousin. I couldn’t even force a smile. This was all too much.
I wanted to cower into a corner and wait for this all to be over. Unfortunately, that would never happen. I knew I couldn’t hide anymore. Part of me wondered if I should hop in my car and take off, find somewhere else to go, another place to hide for a while. It might’ve sounded tempting if it weren’t for Rhys and Wolfe. I loved them. No way could I envision my life without them in it. Sure, if it came down to their safety, that might be one thing, but it wasn’t something I wanted to contemplate right now.
“We’ll take care of it,” Lynx stated, his voice reassuring.
I didn’t believe him. I didn’t believe any of them. I knew their intentions were good by offering the empty platitude, but they didn’t know Kelly. I did. He was the devil in human form.
“Trust me, kiddo,” he stated, leaning closer as though reading my mind.
His arms were covered with tattoos, from his knuckles all the way up to his neck, even behind his ears. It was an interesting mix of designs, some of which I could make out, even possibly understand, but others I knew were personal to him.
“He’s too powerful,” I forced out, my gaze dropping to my lap.
Lynx chuckled. “There’s no such thing.”
“He’s right,” Travis noted. “There’s no such thing.”
Lynx nodded to the four men sitting across the table. “My cousin’s got some serious pull. He knows some pretty powerful people himself.”
I glanced over at Travis Walker. The guy was massive. Not to mention, intimidating.
“And these two…” Travis motioned a thumb toward RT and Z.
My gaze strayed to the two men.
“They’re not gonna let anything happen to you. This is their specialty.”
I didn’t know what this was referring to, but I nodded anyway.
“So, they’re not related?” I asked, glancing between the men.
It seemed everyone was related in some way. I didn’t even know how many cousins Wolfe had, but it seemed there were quite a few of them.
The men at the table laughed, some of the tension easing.
“Not related, no. Z grew up in Coyote Ridge, though,” Travis explained. “His brother works for my family.”
“My aunt Iris married into a really big family,” Wolfe added, “and it only seems to get bigger every time we turn around.”
Travis smiled at me. “I’ve got six brothers. And every damn one of them wanted to be here today. So, if push comes to shove, I’ll bring them in.” His face sobered as he glanced back at Wolfe and Rhys. “But I don’t expect it to come to that.”
The group of men got quiet and Wolfe turned to look at me. A shiver of unease made goose bumps pop out on my arms and legs.
Lynx patted my knee. “It’ll be fine. Ain’t nothin’ gonna happen to you on our watch,” Lynx assured me.
I wished that were true. I wished it could all just go away. I was tired of watching over my shoulder. Especially now, when it seemed my life was coming together. I had a great job, I had friends, and I had two men…
Everyone started talking, and there were too many people for me to keep up, so I continued to move my food around my plate until finally Travis cleared his throat.
