Page 25 of Ruger's Rage
Tildie's eyes widen, landing on me. "You're what?"
"Long story. But your job's secure."
Her laugh comes out sharp, almost bitter. "Right. Nothing comes without strings."
The comment lands harder than it should.
I want to tell her about fighting monsters my whole life, about how some protections come without price tags.
But Ellie touches my arm—a silent plea to go easy on her.
This woman's been burned before, sees threats where I'm offering help.
"No strings," I say simply. "Just business."
A regular calls for a beer, and Tildie hurries away.
I watch her go, noting how she keeps glancing back like I might disappear, taking the safety net with me.
"Give her time," Ellie murmurs. "She's been running from something since she got here."
"I know she has."
"Do you?" She studies me. "Because the way you look at her tells me you see more than running."
Before I can respond, the door swings open.
Bloodhound enters, tension in every line of his body. "Prez," he calls out. "We got a problem. Sorry, but it couldn't wait."
"Talk."
"That warehouse fire last week? Found evidence it was a setup. Someone left our marker there deliberately."
It doesn’t take me long to figure out who, or why.
The Grim Vultures have been trying to provoke a war, and now they're framing us for attacks we didn't order.
"Meeting back at church in an hour," I tell him. "Get everyone there."
I turn to Ellie. "I'll bring papers tomorrow. We'll work out the details then."
"Sounds good, honey."
At the door, I pause.
Tildie's serving the regular, that professional smile hiding whatever she's really thinking.
I catch myself memorizing details—the way her hair catches light, how she bites her lip when concentrating.
They’re dangerous thoughts.
But, I can’t focus on this shit right now.
I head back to the clubhouse, keep myself busy and then head back into church with my brothers.
"They're escalating," Maddox comments.
"Or Striker is," Ounce counters. "He knows our security protocols. Could easily coordinate these hits."
