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“Well, now you’ve seen me. I have to close for the night,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound too impatient.
She had a gut feeling that Panther’s visit was far from friendly, and she wanted to get him out of her garage as quickly as possible.
“Smoke asked me to keep an eye on you. You’re not talking to your new friends behind our backs, right?” Panther asked, dropping his smile.
Smoke sent him? Dana couldn’t help but feel a bead of sweat trace a path down her back as she met Panther’s cold gaze evenly. Her heart raced in her chest as his words finally sunk in. The last thing she wanted was the big boss’s attention, especially not on her and her father. She knew that the Crows’ scrutiny could spell trouble, and she had always tried to avoid their radar.
Doubts swirled in Dana’s mind as she thought about the week that had passed. Did she regret helping Cross out? The answer was a resounding “no. “ Even if she could turn back time, she wouldn’t do anything differently. Her instinct to help someone in need was simply ingrained in her nature, and she couldn’t ignore it.
Swallowing her anxiety, Dana met Panther’s intense gaze squarely and replied, “No, I’ve been minding my own business.”
Panther’s gaze lingered on Dana for a few moments, his calculating eyes trying to gauge whether she was being truthful.
“That’s a good girl. We don’t want people thinking you’re helping the enemy, do we?” Panther asked.
Dana held her tongue. Her father had staunchly denied her involvement in last week’s events, though she suspected Panther was aware of the truth. Keeping her silence felt like the safest course of action.
“What do you say we get out of here and have a good time?” he asked, swiftly changing the topic. “You’re always in here, working hard.”
Dana weighed her options carefully. She understood that refusing Panther’s invitation could further provoke him, but the thought of spending an entire night with this slime repulsed her completely.
“No, thank you. I have to wake up early and open the garage again tomorrow,” Dana said briskly.
Panther’s expression hardened, and Dana wondered how many times she could reject his advances before he turned violent.
“Dana, I’m getting sick of you playing hard to get,” he said.
His eyes remained fixed on her, a predatory glint in his gaze, and she couldn’t help but notice his hand resting ominously on the butt of the gun tucked into his belt. As her heart raced and the options for escape dwindled, Dana’s eyes darted around the garage, searching for anything that could be used as a makeshift weapon. Her gaze fell on a nearby wrench, but she knew it was a poor choice against a loaded gun.
Just as the tension in the room seemed unbearable, the garage door swung open once more.
“Dana, I’m glad you’re still open,” came the voice of Sheriff Taylor, one of her dad’s oldest friends and one of his drinking buddies.
The sheriff spotted Panther and gave him a cautious look. Panther, thankfully, removed his hand from the gun.
“Sheriff,” Panther greeted, his tone casual and accompanied by a lazy smile.
He appeared to be playing it cool, but the exchange between the two men held an undercurrent of tension.
Dana let out a sigh of relief but she knew she wasn’t out of hot water yet. The Crows may have had their hooks in some local law enforcement, but not all the cops were corrupt.
“Dana, sorry to ruin your evening, but it’s your dad. He’s causing trouble at the Old Mill,” the sheriff said.
The Old Mill was the local watering hole her dad loved to frequent. It was where he met Dana’s mom.
“We’ll finish this conversation another day, Dana. But word of advice, I’m not the most patient man in the world,” Panther warned, before leaving the shop.
“Dana,” Sheriff Taylor said with a shake of his head. “Panther’s trouble.”
“I know, but I can’t seem to shake that one off,” she said. “Is my dad really in trouble?”
“No, but he’s in my cruiser, drunk as hell,” the sheriff said. “I can give you both a drive back home.”
“Thank you, Sheriff. I think I’ll take you up on your offer,” Dana said. After her recent conversation with Panther, Dana no longer felt safe in her own town.
****
Dana woke up that morning, a grin tugging at the corners of her lips. She’d been up way past her bedtime, talking with Cross on the phone. God, just hearing his voice was enough to forget all about Panther’s late-night visit.
