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He straightened his shoulders. “If you can’t bother to be respectful, you should leave. She asked you to stop. So let her go.”
Tucker shoved Jessica from his lap and stood. He was a good six inches shorter than Ian. The scrawny kid probably hadn’t done one day’s worth of hard labor his entire life. He was soft. One swift punch to the gut and he’d be down for the count. Ian’s hands tightened into fists at his sides and the muscles in his arms twitched. Granted, Ian couldn’t guarantee the men in the booth wouldn’t retaliate. Two of them were big. They must have been the muscle. The other man was in a suit. He had slicked-back hair and a goatee. His fingernails looked manicured. There was no way he’d get his hands dirty.
Tucker pushed Ian in the chest. “I thinkyouneed to leave before someone gets hurt.”
Ian’s eyes narrowed.
Jessica tugged on his arm. “Come on, Ian. Finish your food and don’t cause any trouble.”
Tucker smirked. “Yeah. Run along.” He flicked his hands toward them. Then his eyes shifted to Jessica and he made a kissing sound. “Order my usual, will ya?”
She pulled on Ian again. “Coming right up.”
Ian’s feet finally shuffled with her. His whole body was humming with angry energy. Why did she allow him to treat her that way? A woman should be respected and protected.
Jessica’s hand dropped from his arm the moment she reached the bar. She put in Tucker’s order then leaned against the counter, her arms folded over her stomach. She didn’t look up at him even as he hovered near his chair. He couldn’t bring himself to sit down.
Tucker’s obnoxious laugh filled the diner and the low rumble of voices had returned to a normal level.
Jessica took in a deep breath and let it out in a huff. She called out to the other waitress behind the bar, “I’m going to take out the trash.”
The older woman nodded and returned to wiping down the menus.
Jessica disappeared through the swinging double doors into the kitchen. Tucker’s laughter had dissipated, and their table seemed to be engaged in a more serious conversation. Ian threw down a twenty at his place and slipped behind the bar and through the double doors. He really shouldn’t be getting involved. His brothers called him “the quiet one” for a reason. He preferred to sit back and watch rather than stick his neck out.
But he couldn’t stand to see Jessica being treated this way. He had to do something. Anything.
Hot, humid air greeted him as he entered the kitchen. He could practically feel the grease as he made his way toward the back. There were only two cooks in the kitchen and both of them were focused on the food they were preparing. The sound of a heavy metal door banging shut led him in the right direction.
He yanked open the door to find an alley with multiple dumpsters. Dusk was quickly falling. It would be dark by the time he left and made his way up into the mountains toward his ranch. Jessica leaned against the brick wall of the restaurant, her face buried in her hands. Her shoulders trembled. Was she crying?
Ian closed the distance between them, his boots scraping against the concrete. Jessica yelped and jumped. Then her eyes registered recognition and the fear dissipated. “Ian. What—”
“You deserve better than him.”
Her brows pinched together. “Tucker really isn’t all that bad when you get to know him. He’s just going through some stuff lately.”
“Stuff that makes disrespecting you okay?” he growled.
Jessica shook her head. “I don’t expect you to understand. Besides, it’s my life. I love him. Just do me a favor and stay out of it. Thanks for your help, but I didn’t need it. I have to get back in there.” She moved past him and pulled open the door with a grunt.
“Jessica, wait.” He groaned and hurried after her through the kitchen and nearly bumped into her as she stood on the other side of the double doors. Her wide, shocked eyes were glued to the strangers as they pointed a gun at Tucker.
A gunshot rang out. Screams erupted from the restaurant, followed by more shots fired. Jessica stood frozen, not moving. Ian got one quick look at a body lying in a growing puddle of blood near the table where the strangers sat. He couldn’t see the face, but there was no doubt it was Tucker. He grabbed Jessica’s arm and yanked her back into the kitchen. The cooks cowered on the floor. They yelped when Ian ran past them. One had managed to locate a phone. The other gripped a carving knife in one hand, his knuckles white.
Ducking low, Ian all but dragged Jessica toward the alley. Praying none of Tucker’s guests had noticed the route they’d taken, he held tighter to Jessica’s hand and charged forward. As luck would have it, he’d parked on the far end of the alley, near where it merged with the main road. If they could make it to his truck, he could take them to safety. The two of them burst into the alley and took off toward his truck. They’d made it three-quarters of the way when the back door slammed open against the building with a bang. Jessica let out a scream as bullets cracked through the silent air around them. Small explosions of dirt punctured the ground and dust broke off the bricks of the building. Searing pain erupted in Ian’s right upper arm and he grunted. There was no time to check it. They needed to get out of there.
They made it to the truck and in one deft movement, he swung open the driver’s door and shoved her across the seat. Then he climbed in behind her. Ian jabbed the key into the ignition and cranked it. The engine sputtered but didn’t turn over. His heart hammered against his ribs as he glanced out the window into the darkness. The shots had stopped coming, but their assailant could be well on his way toward them. He turned the key again, and this time the engine whirred to life. He gripped the gear shift and rammed it into position, then put his feet on the pedals and peeled out of the lot. Dirt and gravel clattered beneath the bed of his truck as they bumped their way to the main road. If they could get that far, they’d have a better chance at surviving whatever they’d just witnessed.
