Hard to Handle (Caine Cousins #2)(70)

“Are you sayin’ you’re refusin’ me service?” Billy countered, his eyes shooting from one person to another.

“That’s what I’m sayin’,” Donna shouted back.

The door opened and someone walked inside. An older man who looked oddly familiar, but she couldn’t place him. The man paused momentarily, his eyes drifting from the group over to Billy and Tammy, who were the only people seated on the far side of the restaurant.

Reagan glanced at Tammy, noticed Lynx’s ex-wife looked completely shocked by what was going on around her. For a brief moment, Reagan actually felt sorry for the woman. Then she thought about how Tammy had been fucking Billy while they’d both been in relationships with other people. Her sympathy died quickly.

“That’s bullshit!” Billy shouted, getting to his feet.

Fully expecting Lynx or Wolfe to address the situation, Reagan nearly fell over when the older man turned toward Billy.

“I’m a payin’ customer,” Billy announced. “And you need to do your fuckin’ job and—”

The newcomer interrupted, a frown on his face as he took a step closer to Billy. “You and me need to have a word outside, son,” he said, his tone hard, his body ramrod straight.

“Who the fuck’re you?”

“Name’s Curtis Walker,” the man stated firmly.

Curtis Walker?

Reagan glanced over at Travis and his brothers. Then she realized why the man looked so familiar. He was a much older version of Travis. Which meant he was … his father?

“I ain’t goin’ nowhere with you,” Billy snapped. “Now if you’ll mind your own fuckin’ business—”

In a move that Reagan would’ve expected from a much younger man, Curtis grabbed hold of Billy’s shirt and tugged him toward the door. The older man’s eyes cut across the room briefly, and then Travis and Sawyer were heading his way.

Lynx and Wolfe followed.

Reagan was about to go with them, but Rhys pulled her up short.

“Let it be,” her brother said softly.

“But—”

“I’ll go out there, but I get the feelin’ this’ll be handled civilly.”

“How do you figure?” Reagan knew Lynx and Wolfe. They didn’t take kindly to outbursts like that. Not when there were women around. And although Tammy wasn’t high on Lynx’s list, Reagan knew he would intervene if he had to.

Rhys didn’t bother to respond before he marched out the door, following close behind the others. Reagan instantly turned to find Amy standing in the corner by herself, her arms wrapped around her middle. She looked so small, so fragile.

Okay, so clearly she had more important things to deal with. Her friend was obviously having a difficult time.

“Hey. You okay?” Reagan asked as she approached Amy, trying to keep her voice down.

Amy’s eyes lifted to hers and Reagan recognized the fear there. It had been prominent on Amy’s face for so long.

“No,” Amy admitted. “I’m really not.”

Placing her hands on her friend’s shoulders, Reagan waited until Amy looked at her. “It’s gonna be all right.”

Amy shook her head. “It’s not.”

“Don’t say that,” Reagan admonished. “They’re gonna catch him and he’s gonna be locked away for a long, long time.”

Reagan could tell Amy was pretending to believe her. She hated seeing that look, wished she could do something to help, to make Amy’s pain go away.

“I… I just need a minute,” Amy said, her voice strained. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom.”

Reagan dropped her hands and nodded. “I’m here if you wanna talk,” she told her.

Amy’s smile was clearly forced when she said, “I know. I know you are.”

And then Reagan watched as Amy walked away, slipping down the narrow hall to the bathroom.

She couldn’t wait for the day that Amy didn’t have to look over her shoulder. For the day the woman could finally settle into her new life and be happy.

Reagan had a feeling that day would be coming very soon.



As much as Amy wanted to pretend she was fine, she couldn’t. That was proven by the way her hands were shaking as she ran cold water over her wrists, attempting to calm the anxiety that filled her like an overinflated balloon.

She peered up in the mirror and winced.

The woman who stared back at her looked more like the fragile, damaged woman she used to be than the woman she’d become. And the truth was, she didn’t like it all that much. Every one of these people filling this restaurant where she used to work were looking at her as though she were a delicate flower, ready to blow away in a stiff wind.

She wasn’t delicate.

Not anymore.

In the time she’d been here in Embers Ridge, Amy had changed.

As she continued to watch herself in the mirror, she shut off the water and dried her hands, straightening her back. No, she wasn’t that girl anymore.

Yes, she was still terrified that Kelly was going to grab her, that he was going to finally finish what he’d started and she would never get to see Wolfe or Rhys again. The man obviously wanted her dead. However, she didn’t want to hide behind Wolfe or Rhys or anyone else in this town. Sure, she appreciated the effort they were going to in order to help, but Amy knew it was futile. Kelly never failed.