Daddy's Sweet Girl (Montana Daddies 3)

Chapter One

Abby Reynold contemplated murder.

She glared at old Pete who was on his sixth cup of coffee. Who the hell sat in a diner and drank coffee at ten p.m.? She glanced longingly over at the booth seats. She could just sit, lay her head down and go to sleep.

Or she could go home and sleep if it wasn’t for old Pete. She sighed. She knew she should be nicer. He was obviously lonely and looking for company. But it wasn’t like he ever talked. He just sat there and drank coffee until she was ready to scream.

This really wasn’t worth the meagre tip he’d leave. She heard a snore coming from the kitchen where Oscar was several shots into his not-so-secret whiskey stash.

If Gloria, the owner, would just set a closing time Abby could have shuffled old Pete on. But no, Gloria had this policy that they didn’t close until the last customer left. Even if the last customer was drinking endless free cups of coffee.

Finally, old Pete left. With a sigh of relief, she swiftly switched the sign to closed and turned off the lights, heading out the back. Everything was already closed down and cleaned. She passed Oscar who was sitting on a chair, his head against the wall behind him, snoring.

She figured Gloria only kept him on because he was her brother. His cooking was average and his personal hygiene was very, very questionable.

She pulled on her coat and grabbed her purse then left. Cool air assaulted her, making her shiver. Reaching into her handbag, she grabbed her keys. She hated leaving the diner at night. The front was well lit but out the back, Gloria hadn’t bothered with security lights. Of course, Gloria always left before it grew dark and she didn’t seem to be particularly worried about her staff’s safety.

Abby bit at her lip, preparing to make the mad dash to her car. She’d had to park at the back as she was on the late shift and everyone else had grabbed the closest spaces. They didn’t think about leaving her one near the back door. No, that would be too thoughtful.

Stop being a bitch.

She winced at even thinking that word. Nana would box her ears if she ever heard her swear. But then, Nana was gone now. She pulled out her small flashlight. Her phone was so ancient that all it could do was call people and send messages. No fancy flashlight apps for her.

“Okay, let’s do this. One, two, three.” She raced towards her car, not glancing around, just focused on her goal. Suddenly, her foot hit something, crushing her toes as she dove forward, her hands and knees scraping painfully along the hard gravel. Her keys and flashlight flew from her hands. She let out a cry of pain, lying there for a moment in shock, panting for air. Slowly, she rolled onto her butt.

“Shit,” she muttered. Well, if ever there was a time to swear it was now. Her flashlight must have turned off when it bashed against the ground because she could barely see a thing. Where had it gone?

“Looking for this?” a low voice asked.

Abby screeched as her flashlight turned on. A huge man dressed all in black stood a few feet away. He kept his face in the shadows, but the flashlight bobbed in his hand. She managed to spot her handbag about a foot away and reached for it with a trembling hand. She didn’t know who he was, but she figured someone hanging around in a dark parking lot after ten p.m. dressed all in black maybe wasn’t going to be a good guy.

“Leave the bag where it is,” he commanded in a low voice.

She froze. Her heart was racing so hard she was scared she might pass out.

Calm down, Abby. You need to stay conscious if you’re going to fight him off.

Oh hell, who was she kidding? She was a chubby, unfit wimp who couldn’t even kill a spider. What chance did she have against this guy if he decided to hurt her?

“You know, usually by this stage people ask me who I am and what I want,” he drawled. His voice was dark. Cold. And she shivered. She wanted to get off the ground but she was too terrified to move. “Don’t you want to know what I want from you, little rabbit?”

“I’m pretty sure I don’t.”

“So, she does speak. Thought I might have terrified you into paralysis.”

She licked her lips. “I-I don’t have

any money.”

“Your brother has something my boss wants.”

Crap. She should have known Max would have something to do with this. Everything shit in her life had Max all over it.

“I-I’m paying off his debt,” she whispered. Why was he here? She paid regularly. Three hundred dollars a week. It was as much as she could afford and even then, she barely had enough to cover her expenses. Thank God, she’d inherited the house she lived in from Nana. She’d thought about selling it to clear what Max owed, but it was the only home she’d ever known.

Besides, she was pretty certain with the way Max racked up debt that she’d soon find herself in this position again. Anger filled her. Why was it up to her to pay off her brother’s debts?