Reckless Road (Torpedo Ink 5)

She sent Perry a vague smile and turned her attention to the next customer, engaging them in conversation, filing their image away, asking their name, introducing herself, and thanking them for coming in. She chattered away, making what appeared to be casual conversation, but every inquiry enabled her to find out if her customer was local, if they had a family and if they would be returning.

Inez had trained her for a week before leaving her on her own, and in that week, the pattern to the way grocery store customers had come in had been very specific. Morning shoppers were women dropping their children at school or on their way to work and picking up a quick bite. Afternoons brought the heavier shoppers, filling their carts with a week’s worth of groceries. Evenings were those getting off work and picking up a few items to make a meal fast. Her first day alone hadn’t been like that at all.

It was the weekend, but even that shouldn’t have made all that much difference. It hadn’t when Inez had been there. Today, there hadn’t been a single block of time, not five full minutes, when she had a break. Inez had handled the store hours virtually alone, with only someone to stock shelves and give her required breaks. If this influx of customers continued, they would need to hire someone immediately, and finding reliable help seemed to be a major issue.

She glanced out the window. A long line of motorcycles had been parked there for what seemed the better part of an hour. Maybe over an hour. Player was there, across the street, and she knew she would have to face him. The idea turned her inside out. Her grandmother was absolutely right. She had to stay away from him, shut him out completely, or she would never be open to a real relationship.

Maybe something was wrong with her. Maybe it wasn’t the men at all. The first man she’d really thought might be the one had turned out not even to be close. He’d had a lot to say about her shortcomings. She’d had a lot of time to think about those things he’d listed because they’d looped over and over in her head. She’d written them down. Listed them, determined to discover if they were true and work on them if that was so. She wanted to be a good partner. He claimed she didn’t give anything of herself, and looking back, she was certain he was right—she hadn’t.

Her gaze strayed to the clock more than once as the crowd thinned out. She wanted Perry gone, but she knew he wasn’t going to leave. He was determined to outwait everyone and still try to talk her into going out with him, even though she’d politely declined three times. She was going straight home to her grandmother. She didn’t want her alone for even five minutes, and there was a short period of time when she would have to be by herself in the house before Zyah’s shift ended. She had to close, and that took time.

Her grandmother’s latest X-rays hadn’t been good. The doctor had to reset her bone, and that meant once again postponing physical therapy for her leg. Mama Anat had been so disappointed. She was anxious to get out of the wheelchair and be able to do for herself. Thankfully, Terrie Frankle, the physical therapist, was willing to help out with her arm because she needed to speed up recovery and get the use back so she could be more independent.

Zyah had once again changed the locks and, with Inez’s help, made out a schedule so her grandmother wasn’t alone while she worked. Another house two blocks over had been robbed, and the couple occupying the cottage, beaten. Inez knew that couple as well. Gabe and Harmony Gleason were in their early seventies and, according to Inez, owned a gift shop in Sea Haven. They were very much part of the community. It seemed so senseless to Zyah for the robbers to beat the elderly when they had already turned over money and jewelry.

Torpedo Ink members began drifting in, one or two at a time five minutes before closing, picking up a few items and, when they came up to the counter, introducing themselves to her. Each of them gave Perry a hard look and then the once-over. It was intimidating as hell. By the third one, a big man with his head shaved and the coldest eyes she’d ever seen, Perry gave up and walked out to his hot car. He stood next to it for a few minutes, and when more of the bikers crowded onto the sidewalk just outside of the store, he drove away.

Few people knew the club owned the store. Inez was part owner, and her name was prominent when one looked it up. She co-owned with a company. One had to dig deep to find that Torpedo Ink owned the company. Perry had just left her alone with very scary men. He was afraid of them, but had no compunction about leaving her. Zyah managed the store, and she had been told Torpedo Ink co-owned with Inez. They had been very up front with her before offering her the job. They had also disclosed that the club members would be working in the back and stocking shelves and also watching over the store, as well as escorting anyone closing the store home, from a distance, but still, it was a policy and one they preferred she didn’t talk about to anyone else.