He laughs again, shaking his head before he suddenly perks up even more. His eyes swivel back to me, and they narrow dangerously.
“Guess we need to pay Grandma a visit, huh?”
My entire world breaks, and I barely realize I’m screaming as I drop to my knees right there in the parking lot. Oliver roars, but Jay just flips him off and guns the engine, pulling out of the parking lot and speeding away.
I’m gasping for air on the ground as big, strong hands pull me up and huge arms wrap tight around me, pulling me into his chest. Tears stream down my face against his t-shirt as my lungs heave for air.
“Oh God! Oh God! Oh God—”
I pull away from him and yank my phone out. My hands shake as I jab my Grams’s number and pull the phone to my ear, but I don’t even get a ringtone, just straight to voicemail. I sob and dial again, but it’s the same outcome. That’s when I lose it and collapse into his arms, just as I hear the door to the diner slam open.
“Delphine!”
I whirl to see Scarlett rushing towards me. She obviously recognizes Oliver, but aside from a flicker of “oh really” in her eyes, she doesn’t say a thing. She just rushes over to me and throws her arms around me as I turn into her.
“They—they—!” I sob into her. “My Grams, they—Barnes—”
“I saw everything, hon,” she says quietly, holding me tight.
“We can protect her” Oliver growls, his voice edged. “My club, I mean.”
I turn to him, my eyes wide. “She’s not answering her phone.”
He snarls, yanking his phone out. “Where does she live?”
“Where’s your club?” Scarlett says without blinking an eye.
Oliver frowns, but I nod. “She’s okay.”
“Right outside Blackthorn Mountain, past Loggersville.”
Scarlett frowns and shakes her head. “They won’t get to her in time. She’s in Pineboro, other side of Dark Water Falls.”
The world starts to spin again as the panic begins to reach up to claw at my throat. Oliver growls, moving in to catch me before I can fall and pulling me into his arms.
“Fuck it, I’m calling them—”
“I’ll be faster.”
We both turn to Scarlett.
“What?” I whisper.
She swallows, nodding. “I’ll be faster. C’mon, girl, you’ve seen me drive. I can be there in twelve minutes.”
“Twelve minutes might be too—”
“Your friends gonna get there sooner from two hours away?” She snaps at Oliver before she frowns and looks down. “Sorry.”
“No, don’t be,” he grunts. “You should go.”
She looks up at me, and I swallow.
“Scarlett, Barnes’s guys, they’re…”
“I’m a big girl,” she says tightly, though I can see the fear on her face.
“I’ll go with you.”
I blink and turn to look up into Oliver’s eyes. “No, that’s—”
“Of course I am, love,” he says quietly. “I’ll make sure your Grams gets back to the club, and then I’ll come get you.”
“Not here,” Scarlett says tightly. “If this goes bad, Barnes will come here for her.” She frowns and fishes into the pocket of her uniform dress. “Here.”
She presses a set of keys into my hands.
“Take my car, go to my place, keep the lights off and just lay low, okay?”
I nod. “Scarlett, I don’t know how to—”
“Hey,” she smiles. “What are friends for?” She turns her gaze to Oliver, and her face hardens. “Ready?”
“Let’s roll,” he growls before suddenly he frowns. “Shit. I’ve just got my bike, and we need to get your grandmother too—”
“Take my car.”
All three of us startle as we turn back to the diner’s front door. And standing there looking grim, holding a set of keys out, is Martin, the Rosebud regular, with Lester and Cobb salad Tom standing behind him looking equally serious.
“Martin?” I breathe.
“I don’t stick my neck into people’s shit very often,” he growls. “But we couldn’t help but catch some of that from our booth by the window.” He frowns. “That asshole in the car, he works for Bryce Barnes, right?”
I nod, chewing at my lip.
Martin scratches his grizzled chin. “Barnes trying to hurt your Grams?”
I look down. “It’s… yeah, I mean, it’s complicated—”
“Don’t sound too complicated,” he grunts before he nods at Oliver. “You need to move if Barnes is headed to her grandmother’s place. Take my car.” He tosses Oliver the keys, and then nods across the lot at the sleek, gleaming black vintage Charger.
“She can move, trust me,” he grunts.
Oliver’s brow perks. “You’re sure?”
“Sure as shit, English. Now get fucking going.”
I frown, looking at Martin. “Why—”
“Because we like you, kid,” Tom grunts from behind him. “And because every time I see some new kid in AA crying about buying drugs from that Barnes motherfucker, I want to put my hands around his fuckin’ neck.” He scowls. “S’cuse the language.”
“Get going,” Martin grunts, nodding at Oliver and Scarlett. “We’ll make sure Delphine get’s back to your place and stays safe there.”
“The Rosebud—”
Scarlett frowns at me. “Val’s inside and saw it all, too. She can handle it alone.” She turns to Oliver. “Alright pretty boy, you ready?”
He nods, and turns back to me, wrapping me in his arms tight.
“We’ll get her, we’ll bring her to the club, and she’ll be safe, I promise.”
I nod, my heart racing, and Oliver looks up at my three retired regulars.
“If anything happens to—”
“Hey, English,” Martin grunts. “I survived three tours of Nam. I think I can handle some small-town fuck-wit with daddy issues.”
Oliver grins before he turns, leans down, kisses me deeply, and pulls away.
“I’ll call when she’s safe.”
I nod, gripping his hand before he and Scarlett turn and dash across the lot to the Charger. Oliver gets behind the wheel, and Martin’s car roars to life before Oliver takes it out of the lot and opens it up. The beast of a car blasts like a bat out of hell down the road, my heart racing as if I were right there in it.
“I’ll tell you what,” Martin chuckles. “If anything happens to that car, I’m gonna have to kick your boyfriend’s tea-sippin’ ass.”
I laugh, which feels weird given the circumstances, but it feels good.
Martin sighs. “Alright, sweetheart. Let’s get you hid.”
Chapter Fifteen
Delphine
By nightfall, it feels like I’ve run ten marathons in a single day. In reality, I’ve just been mostly pacing Scarlett’s apartment, feeling sick, and worried, and beside myself. But at last, the anxiety is going down.