Page 66 of Ridin’ Dirty

Route 66 opened at eleven. As part of the opening crew, I was scheduled to be in by ten. I was grateful to have someplace to be as much as I was curious to find out what sort of chatter I might hear. An impossible number of things had gone down since my last shift. Moreover, I hadn’t spoken to Pistol since the night he was attacked.

If I hadn’t been there to see the shit hit the fan, I would think only the worst of the man I married after two late nights spent mostly away from home. It was a stretch to say I trusted him after one shared dinner of bacon grilled cheese; and, sure, it was possible he hadn’t earned the benefit of my doubt—but I’d been there. I knew what I saw the other night were two rival clubs barely hanging on to the peace that existed between them.

Whatever trouble was brewing had only just begun.

I was disappointed when I arrived and noticed Rusty wasn’t on shift. Stafford was working on opening the bar. He was a decent bartender, but he wasn’t a Stallion. Not even close. His civilian roots ran so deep, he wouldn’t even be good for gossip.

When I went to stow my purse in the back, I saw Viv, but she was in the office on the phone. She spotted me when I peeked through the door’s window, and the wink and wave I got was my clue she was definitely tied up for the time being. On my way to front-of-house, I stopped to check the schedule posted on the wall and saw Max had the closing shift, which meant I wouldn’t see her until two-thirty.

Resigned to my fate, I got to work.

As was usual, right when we opened, a few of our regulars walked through the door.

Pete and Larry were electricians, and they preferred an early lunch.

Betty and George were old timers, in every Thursday for their day-date.

Nick came in Monday through Friday and sat in a corner booth. He’d nurse a cola for an hour while he worked on his laptop, then order the spicy bacon cheeseburger, but with no fries. When he was finished eating, he’d work an hour more before he capped his meal with a vanilla milkshake. Always vanilla.

He was a sports podcaster. It wasn’t my thing, but apparently it paid the bills.

I went to grab Nick’s coke right away, giving the others time to think about what they wanted. I didn’t bother offering any of them a menu, sure they didn’t need it.

By the time I collected their orders, a few more guests entered the diner, and I fell into a comfortable, familiar groove.

I was at the bar, putting in a new ticket, when Viv came out onto the floor. She spotted me and headed straight my way.

“Hey, you doin’ okay? Laura called. She’s runnin’ late, but she should be here in about a half hour or so.”

“Yeah,” I replied, glancing out over the floor. “I’m good for now.”

“Good. And how are you?”

“Honestly?” I asked, turning to face her directly.

She lifted an eyebrow, and I got the message.

“I’m getting by—but I feel a little in the dark.”

“I hear you.” She glanced behind the bar then shifted to stand beside me, so I’d hear her when she lowered her voice. “Nothin’ much to report. Except…”

“Except what?”

“Your brother came by yesterday. When I told him you had the day off, he wanted to know where you were. Said he’d been to your place and found it empty. To say he was pissed is an understatement.”

“Was he⁠—?”

“I handled it,” she assured me, lifting a placating hand. “But we both know he’ll be back.”

“He called me a dozen times yesterday. I ignored him. I’m sorry if⁠—”

“No. Don’t do that. Don’t apologize for him.” She reached up and gave my shoulder a squeeze before she continued, “When he comes in, if you need backup, you got it. Understand?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “Thanks, Viv.”

She signaled toward the kitchen. “I’ll check to see what orders are up and lend a hand.”

By noon, business was in full swing. Laura showed up and jumped right in, helping ease the whirlwind of the lunch rush. It was after one-thirty when things started to slow down. I was coming from the back, my arms laden with three plates, when he walked in. My feet slowed instantly—my brain communicating to the rest of my body I only had a couple seconds to get a read on him.