Chapter Sixteen
Tanya sat in her car near the old pub where her friend Kelly had asked to meet her. Try as she might, she was having more trouble than she would have thought with Bryce going on the assignment that evening.
It wasn’t like she didn’t know what she was getting into. Her brother had been in that line of work for some time, but this was different. Now she knew far more than she ever had before about a specific job.
Tanya was glad though really. Bryce trusted her with the truth, and she loved that he did. It showed that he respected her as a woman and not some damsel he had to protect from anything bad. Still, feeling respected didn’t stop the worry.
The harsh truth was that Reece and Bryce were running a sting operation involving a dirty cop and some serious criminals. Anything could happen.
Tanya shook herself. They would look after one another. Bryce said they were taking all precautions. She just had to trust that they knew what they were doing and would come back to her. That they would keep each other safe.
If she wanted to be with a man like Bryce, she’d have to be able to handle this sort of thing. He’d pushed back a lot to try and protect her, and she’d insisted that it didn’t matter. Now this was the test.
Tanya glanced over to the pub and frowned. It wasn’t really much of a pub, and she was actually surprised her friend wanted to meet in such a seedy place. Kelly had always been the one to pick the more upscale place whenever they went out. The place was anything but upscale.
Tanya climbed out of the car and glanced around the street. She’d had to park down the block. Several motorcycles lined the curb as well as more than a few rundown cars. Not taking any chances, she hit the lock button on her key fob.
She headed up the street and into the pub. The place was about what it looked like on the outside. Just as rundown and with more than a few seedy characters.
Tanya walked in farther and found her friend sitting in a booth at the back, not really paying much attention at all to the people around them.
She sat down in Kelly’s booth and smiled warmly. It was nice to have a distraction from what was going on.
When Kelly contacted her about going out and chatting, she was grateful. Still, she felt like her friend was still holding out on something. Tanya wasn't quite sure what it was.
Originally, she assumed it had something to do with Reece, but given where they were meeting, Tanya couldn’t help but wonder if Kelly somehow had stumbled into some sort of trouble. That seemed pretty unlikely, but the worry still gnawed at Tanya given her own recent run-in with criminals.
“So glad you could make it,” Kelly said, and smiled at her.
Tanya glanced around. “Wasn’t sure this was the right place.”
Kelly shrugged. “It’s close.”
Tanya opened her mouth to say more but decided not to. If that was all Kelly had to say on the subject, then she wasn’t about to press.
“Sooo…” Kelly said with a grin. “Looks like my suggestion worked.”
Tanya balked. “How did you know?”
Kelly grinned. “Your mother,” she said, and then frowned. “Of course, that was after she told me about the break in. You couldn’t pick up a phone?”
Tanya’s cheeks heated. Kelly was right. She should have taken the time to call.
“Sorry, I was, um, busy.”
"Can't believe you’re together just like that.”
Tanya laughed. She couldn't quite believe it herself.
She watched as a waitress moved around, ready to get in a drink at least. The woman bypassed them and stopped at the booth behind them.
Tanya opened her mouth to say something about how someone didn’t want a tip when the man directly behind her spoke loudly.
"I'll take a draft, but make it quick. I got shit to do tonight, sweetheart.”
Tanya stilled in her seat, her heart kicking up. She'd heard that voice before. The voice sent chills through her body. She was sure she’d be hearing the voice in her nightmares.
Kelly was sitting across from her, and Tanya knew the other woman was talking now, but all she could hear was the man. Not just a man. The leader of the thugs from the other night.
"Do you think this is really going to work?" the man said gruffly. He lowered his voice, but now Tanya was now focused on the men, blocking out everything else.
Another man laughed from inside the booth. "Yeah, Dalton’s our man," he said. "We’ve worked with him a few other times, and he always comes through if you find enough cash."
Dalton? Bryce’s ex-partner, and the guy who had recruited him for the sting? It was such an unusual name, and considering the voices that were talking about it, she doubted it was another guy.
"I just want to make sure that the Allens take a hit from this. I owe ‘em.”
“Hey, it’s their guys. They’ll take the hit. Everyone knows they are cozy with the Irish, so it’s not like they can claim they only play with the good guys.”
"Tanya?” Kelly said. “Are you going to order?"
Tanya had been so focused on what the men were saying she hadn't even noticed the waitress at their table. She shook her head.
"Sorry for the trouble, but I’ve got to leave," Tanya said quickly, rising.
Kelly frowned at her from across the table. "What's going on?"
Tanya shook her head. "Walk me to the car," she said quietly.
The man behind her chatted happily with his partner, unaware of who sat in the booth next to them. And she wanted to keep it that way. The men probably figured anyone else sitting next to them wouldn’t have a clue of what they were talking about.
Tanya stepped out of the booth and waited for Kelly to move in next to her. As they passed the booth next to them, Tanya glanced over at the men sitting there. The larger of the two had tattoos down his arm. His boots, leather jacket, and jeans, along with a bandana, completed a biker look. He wasn’t the only biker in the place, so he didn’t stand out other than his voice.
She worked her way to his face and was shocked his eyes locked with hers. A chill passed through her as he stared directly at her.
Her arm linked with her friend’s as she tugged Kelly towards the door. When they'd reached the front of the restaurant, she leaned over to whisper in Kelly's ear.
"The men in the booth next to us were the ones who wrecked the salon," she said.
Kelly turned to look at her in surprise.
"Just keep walking and don't look back," Tanya said quietly.
They stepped out onto the sidewalk, and for a moment she thought the nightmare was all over. They had taken two steps when the sound of the door swinging open behind them caught her ear.
"Wait a minute," a firm voice said.
For a moment Tanya debated if they should just run, but if she was going to be shot, she figured it was better to be done in the front than in the back.
She glanced over her shoulder at the large man standing there.
"What's your name?" the tattooed man said.
Tanya shook as she faced him. "Tan—"
The man shook his head. "Her name." He nodded over to her friend.
Kelly's hand shook in hers, and Tanya squeezed it with reassurance.
"Kelly." Her friend’s voice came out just above a whisper.
The man stepped forward, his eyes pinned on Kelly. "I’ve seen you here before,” he said smoothly. “Name’s Blitz, and I have a thing for redheads.”
Tanya realized the man hadn’t been staring at her before, but rather Kelly.
Kelly stood a little straighter than normal. “Well, maybe I don’t have a thing for tattooed bikers.”
Tanya stared in shock at her friend. The quiet woman who never talked like that to just about anyone was suddenly trying to provoke a fight with a biker thug.
Blitz reached into his jacket. Fear rooted Tanya in place as she waited for the gun. Instead, he pulled out a pen. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled receipt. He scribbled his number on it and offered the paper to Kelly.
He chuckled. "Give me a call, Kelly. You need a real man to handle a spitfire like you.” He nodded toward the bar. “And we both know that’s why you come to a place like this.”
Kelly took the paper and shoved it in her purse before turning on her heel with Tanya and walked away.
When they reached the car, Tanya stopped and leaned against it to catch her breath. She watched her friend glare back at the now empty street.
She didn’t know what had happened with Kelly, but now wasn’t the time for that.
“I need to get ahold of my brother or Bryce."
Kelly nodded and climbed into the car without question. Never in her life would Tanya have thought of her as a ride or die sort but was glad to have her there.