Edge Of Fear (Arrow's Edge MC Book 4) by Freya Barker (best love novels of all time .TXT) 📗

a tight rein on the kitchen, my job would be a lot more challenging.

I sit down at my desk and pull our bookkeeping software up on my computer. Most of our transactions are debit or credit card, but there are still some who pay cash. Since I wasn’t here yesterday—I normally do the week’s deposit Saturdays—I’ll be making a bank deposit as well tonight. I grab the cash we keep in the safe in my office and sort the bills before stuffing them in a pouch along with the deposit slip. Next are the reports, which take a while to print off.

I’m just filing the print copies in the filing cabinet when Lauren and Mandy walk past, giving me a wave.

“Night!”

“See you next week,” I call after them.

Lea is the next one to leave, and when I walk into the restaurant Mack is locking the front door.

“We ready?”

Tse gets up from his seat, rubbing his ass with both hands.

“Jesus, my ass is sore.”

“Right now I can’t find it in me to sympathize.”

The snark is more to remind myself I still have a bone to pick with him than anything else, but it has Mack throw up his hands defensively.

“Leave me out of it, please. I just work here,” he says, flicking off the lights before he heads for the back door.

Tse is grinning as he drapes an arm around my shoulders.

“No offers to make it better?” he teases.

“Don’t answer that!” Mack yells from in front of us, right before he darts outside.

I stop outside my office. “I need to grab my purse.”

“I’ve got it.”

Tse walks in, finds my bag on top of the credenza behind my desk, flicks off the desk lamp, and pulls the door shut behind him, before following me outside.

“So…” he drawls. “Are you? Gonna make it better?”

I roll my eyes at him and turn the deadbolt on the back door.

“Why don’t you tell me first what you and Ramirez were discussing in the men’s room?”

“Let’s get home first. There are a few things I need to tell you about.”

I try not to let the fact he calls my place home affect me; I don’t want to admit I like the sound of it.

“Fine.”

I look around the parking lot, but all I see is my Jeep and Mack’s taillights.

“Where’s the bike?”

“I’ve got the truck, it’s parked out front. Parking lot was pretty full when I got here.”

He walks me to the Jeep, waits until I’m behind the wheel, tells me he’ll catch up, and then jogs around the building to the front.

I start the Jeep and pull out of my spot. It’s not until I turn onto Main Avenue I remember the deposit pouch on my desk. Shit. I can see Tse’s truck, with him behind the wheel so I drive by and hold up one finger, indicating for him to wait a minute. Then I turn into the narrow alley on the other side of the restaurant, leading to the rear parking lot, and notice a car parked halfway down, the front of the car pointing in my direction.

The sky-blue Honda is Mandy’s car and I can see the trunk is open but I don’t see her.

I pull up, get out of the vehicle, and walk to the rear of the Civic just as Mandy appears from behind, the large tote she always carries with her in her hands. She stops in her tracks when she spots me.

“What’s going on?”

She covers her shock with a smile but it doesn’t reach her eyes, and I’m suddenly uncomfortable.

“My car is acting up. I was hoping someone would still be here.”

I don’t believe it for a second. Her eyes dart over my shoulder, just as I hear the crunch of a footstep right behind me. Before I can look behind me, something hits the back of my head and I yelp, toppling forward and landing facedown in the gravel.

I have the presence of mind to keep my eyes closed and stay perfectly still.

“Gimme the bag,” I hear a man’s voice. Then I hear rustling and the car trunk close. “Now get the fuck out of here.”

The door slams shut; the engine starts, and gravel sprays up from the tires as the car backs out of the alley. I almost cry out when the guy kicks me in the back but manage to stay as still as possible. Then I hear Tse’s voice.

“Hey, you fucking son of a bitch!”

CHAPTER 15

Tse

“I’M FINE.”

My fucking heart stopped when I saw her Jeep halfway down the alley, door open. I noticed a man haul back and kick at something on the ground, realizing too late it was a person.

The guy took off through the trees and I probably should’ve gone after him but I was more concerned with Sophia, who was pushing herself up into a sitting position by the time I got to her.

“Like hell you are,” I growl, as I probe her head with my fingers, looking for injury. “You have a bump on your head and look at your hands, they’re bleeding.”

“Trust me.” She brushes my hands aside. “I’m fine. Go after him.”

I only half trust her at her word, but I scramble to my feet.

“Wait,” she calls out when I start to move. “I need your phone. Mine’s in the car.”

I toss her my phone and haul off in the direction I saw the guy run. I dart through the trees where I saw him disappear and end up in an alley between two houses. These aren’t in much better shape than the one Ramirez has had his eye on.

When I hit the road on the other side I look in both directions, hoping to catch a glimpse of the guy. There’s no movement on either end, but when I look toward the river, I see movement on the far side of the railroad tracks. I immediately take off across the road and through the brush. When I get to the other side of the tracks I stop, looking and