by Katie Ruggle
“We’re never getting the puppies back, are we?” Otto asked.
“Never,” Grace, Jules, and Hugh chorused.
Jules patted Otto’s hand. “Sorry.”
He gave her a small smile. Honestly, Sarah didn’t think Otto was too torn up that the puppies had been confiscated. He had too much on his plate as it was, and getting up every three hours for feedings on top of all his other responsibilities would’ve been brutal.
“Thank you for taking care of them,” Sarah said, looking around the table. “We miss them, but it’s nice having sleep.”
“We’ve been trading off.” Grace took a sip of her coffee. “It’s still rough, but they’re cute, so that makes up for it.”
“I think that’s what new mothers say, too.” Jules grinned until one of the other customers called her name. “Sorry. I’ll get your food. Sarah, what would you like? I know everyone else’s orders.”
“The pancakes, please. With strawberries.”
“Whipped cream?”
Her instinct was to say no, since her father or her brother would’ve made some comment about how she needed to be careful not to get fat, but then she remembered that she was free. She could eat whatever she wanted to eat. She could be whatever size she wanted to be. “Yes, please. Extra whipped cream.”
As if she could read Sarah’s thoughts, Jules’s smile grew huge and supportive. “You’ve got it.”
“You like pancakes?” Otto asked her.
“They’re my favorite breakfast food.” She noticed that everyone was quiet, listening to their exchange, and she looked around the table. In her previous life, she’d hated it when the focus was on her. It never turned out well. Now, though, her new friends all looked relaxed and interested in what she had to say. It was different from before, but she still shifted a little, unsure if she liked the attention or not. It was a lot to get used to.
“I’ll make them for you,” he said. “You’ll like my pancakes.”
“I’m sure I will.” The words were out, thick with innuendo, before she could think twice. Hugh was grinning ear to ear, and Grace tossed a balled-up napkin at him.
“See? That’s how normal people flirt,” she said. “There’s no yelling involved.”
Hugh caught the napkin. “If I were normal, you wouldn’t love me so much.”
Eyeing him for a long moment, Grace finally shrugged. “Not a lie.”
Theo, in uniform, pulled up a chair to the end of the table.
“Careful,” Hugh warned, reaching down to shift the puppies’ carrier away from Theo’s feet.
“Of what?” After glancing under the table, he refocused on Hugh, his eyes narrow. “Are those the puppies?”
“Shh!” Everyone except Hugh shushed him.
“Why are they here?” Theo looked at the carrier again, and his frown deepened. “There’s not an outlet down there. Don’t they have their heating pad? They’re going to get cold.”
“We put a couple of hand warmers under their blankets,” Hugh said. “They’re fine. If they weren’t fine, they wouldn’t be quietly sleeping. They’re not shy about letting us know when they’re cold—or hungry or too warm or in any way not comfortable.”
Although Theo’s grunt sounded like grudging agreement, he still didn’t look happy. “I should’ve taken them to work with me.”
“You can’t bring puppies on calls with you.” Jules popped up next to him to pour a cup of coffee and kiss him on the cheek. “The puppies are fine with Hugh. We trust him to babysit the kids. The health inspector might close the viner down, but the puppies will be okay.”
“I thought you weren’t going to let me babysit the kids anymore after the cat incident,” Hugh said.
“That’s Otto,” Jules corrected before rushing off to serve another table.
“Hey,” Otto said mildly. “I didn’t find the cat. If I hadn’t gotten it down, Dee would’ve climbed up herself.”
Theo shrugged slightly as he took a drink of his coffee. “She’s just kidding. You’re still our second pick after Grace.”
“What about me?” Hugh complained.
After giving Hugh a flat look, Theo turned back to Otto. “Like I said, you’re still our second pick.”
Grace smirked at Hugh before saying to Sarah, “How have things been going at Otto’s?”
Sarah opened her mouth to tell Grace everything, but then looked around and noticed the other interested faces around the table. There was even a bearded guy at the next table who appeared to be eavesdropping. Sarah swallowed back all of her news and just said, “Fine.”
Giving the people around them a sweeping look, Grace obviously understood the situation. “I’m going to the bathroom.” She stood up. “Sarah? You coming?”
Sarah popped out of her seat, falling in next to Grace, but Otto caught her hand, halting her. “You’ll have to go one at a time,” he told her. “There aren’t any stalls. It’s just a single bathroom.”
Hugh started to laugh. “They’re not going to the bathroom to actually use it,” he said.
His forehead furrowing in the way it did when he didn’t understand something, Otto looked at Hugh and then back at Sarah.
“They’re going to the bathroom so they can have some privacy when they talk about us.” Glancing at Sarah, Hugh amended his words. “You, buddy. They’re going to the bathroom to talk about you.”
Sarah felt her face heat as Otto released her hand, still looking confused. She wanted to say something, to assure him that they wouldn’t be talking about him, but Grace tugged her away from the table. Besides, Sarah thought as she looked back over her shoulder while Grace towed her toward the bathroom, denying it would be a lie. They were going to talk, and it most likely was going to feature Otto.
“So?” Grace demanded once they were in the bathroom, even before the door latch clicked shut. “Tell me everything. What’s been going on?”
Sarah hesitated. It wasn’t that she wanted to hold back, but she wasn’t sure where to start. “Well…a lot.”
Grace’s eyes got huge even as her voice lowered to a whisper. “Are you guys having sex?”
“Not yet.”
“Not yet?” Grace’s smile grew until it curved her mouth up wickedly. “So why are you blushing? Have you kissed?”
“Yes.” Her face got even hotter, but she couldn’t stop grinning.
“Is Otto a good kisser?”
“Really, really good.” Her smile matched Grace’s. “Amazing. The best. I don’t think there are words good enough to explain just how incredible he is.”
Grace gave a laughing squeal and caught Sarah in a hug. “Yay! Kisses! Good kisses!”
Laughing, Sarah hugged her back. Having a friend felt almost as nice as Otto’s kisses. They turned in a circle, squeezing each other and laughing, until they finally quieted enough to talk again.
“Was it just kissing, or did he push the envelope? Otto’s so quiet, and you know what they say about those quiet guys.”
Sarah frowned in confusion. “What do they say?”
“I’m actually not sure.” They laughed again. Sarah was more giddy than amused, but it didn’t matter. Grace snickered right along with her. “So is he—”
The door handle rattled, interrupting her.
“Just a minute,” Sarah called out, figuring it was someone who needed to use the bathroom, but the knob shook again.
“Hugh,” Grace said in a warning voice. “If you pick that lock again, I am going to kill you.”
“Again?” Sarah whispered, her eyes on the knob. If it was Hugh, then Sarah had a feeling some of that “yelling flirting” was about to happen.
Grace waved a hand. “It’s his thing,” she said dismissively, while Sarah goggled at her. If her boyfriend—Otto’s face jumped into her head when she thought the word boyfriend—had a “thing�
�� that involved unlocking the doors to women’s restrooms, Sarah was pretty sure she’d have a problem with that.
The knob kept turning from side to side. “Hugh?” Grace’s voice grew less bossy and more uncertain when no response came from the other side of the door. The knob went still, but Sarah and Grace continued to stare. After a few seconds, Sarah’s shoulders relaxed. It had just been someone needing to use the bathroom, like she’d first thought, and they hadn’t heard her telling them that it would be a min—
The door flew open, crashing against the wall. Grace screamed, but Sarah’s shout went the wrong direction, burning her throat as she sucked in a frightened breath. Jeb stalked into the bathroom, followed by Logan Jovanovic in a police officer’s uniform.
“Your little rebellion’s over. Time to go home,” Jeb said, reaching out to grab Sarah’s arm. The movement knocked her out of her paralysis, and she dodged, darting out of reach and backing away.
“What the hell?” Logan said, and Sarah’s gaze flashed to him for just a second. He was staring at Grace, an unpleasant smile growing on his face. “You’re here, too? It’s a two-for-one special.”
Sarah jerked her attention back to Jeb, but the distraction was enough to give him time to lunge. She twisted, trying to stay out of reach, but he managed to grab a handful of her coat and hauled her out of the bathroom into the VFW entryway. Panic wiped her brain clear, and she struggled like a kitten caught by the scruff until she started thinking again. Yanking her arms from the sleeves, she pulled out of her unzipped coat, falling to the floor once she was free.
The jarring impact drove a grunt out of her, and she remembered that she had a voice—and that there was a table of help only a few feet away. Sucking in a breath, she screamed.
Logan ran from the bathroom, blood running from his nose as he bounced off the doorjamb. He jumped over Sarah’s legs on his way to the door. Yanking it open, Logan dashed outside.
“Shit,” Jeb muttered, grabbing at her again. This time, Sarah was able to scramble away and dodge his grip. A nearby roar caught her attention.
Everyone in the viner was running toward them. The pack was led by Otto, whose face was pulled tight with rage. Jeb grabbed her, gripping both of her arms, but Sarah hardly felt it. All her attention was focused on the rampaging Viking lumberjack coming to her rescue.
Jeb’s hands went slack, and he made a strange whimpering sound that told Sarah he’d spotted Otto. She grinned fiercely. Jeb was right to be scared. Otto, her gentle, kind giant, was about to kick his ass.
Then he was there, yanking Jeb off her. Otto’s huge fists smashed into him—once, twice, a third time—before Theo and Hugh were pulling him off.
“Leave us enough to arrest,” Hugh said, his usual lighthearted tone just a thin overlay. Even shocked and battered, Sarah could hear Hugh’s rage. His gaze raked the area, finally landing on Sarah. “Where’s Grace?”
Her heart skipped and then started to pound. Grace! Before Sarah could scramble to her feet and run into the bathroom, Grace was standing in the doorway.
“I’m okay.” Hugh loosened his hold on Otto and was at Grace’s side in an instant. She gave him an only slightly wobbly smile. “Really, Hugh. I’m fine.”
Sarah looked back at Otto, who was breathing hard, his hands clenched at his sides. Jeb was still on the ground, staring up at him. Blood trickled from a cut below his eye, which was what reminded Sarah of Logan.
“Logan was here,” she said, and all three cops snapped their heads around to look at her. “Logan Jovanovic. He ran out that way.”
Keeping his gaze locked on her, Otto shook free of Theo’s hold and walked the few steps to where she was still sitting on the floor. He crouched down and cupped her cheek.
“I’m fine, too.” She made a shooing gesture. “Hurry. He’s getting away.”
“You going to kill him if I leave him with you?” Theo asked Otto, quickly handcuffing a cowering Jeb.
There was a pause before Otto finally said, “No.” Theo frowned, obviously not believing him.
“I’ll watch him,” Jules said, pushing through the gawking customers standing in a circle around the action. “Go get the other guy.”
Theo still hesitated until Megan and then Vicki joined Jules. Apparently, since he rushed out the door, Theo thought that the three of them—four including Sarah—would be enough to keep Otto from dismembering Jeb.
“What happened?” Hugh asked, sliding an arm around Grace’s shoulders. She leaned against his side.
“Jeb and Logan broke into the bathroom,” Sarah said. She started to climb to her feet, mentally cursing her shaky limbs, and then Otto lifted her off the floor. Once she was up, he kept his hands on her shoulders until she felt steady. A part of her wished he would pull her into his arms so she could bury her face in his chest and forget about everything, but she knew she couldn’t collapse yet. Later, she promised herself. She could cuddle him later. “At first, we thought it was Hugh—”
Hugh made a small sound of protest that drew everyone’s attention. After a second, he shrugged, keeping the gesture small enough that it didn’t jostle Grace. “Fair enough. Keep going.”
“They kicked the door in.” Sarah swallowed, willing her voice not to shake. “Jeb dragged me out by the coat, so I slipped out of it and screamed. By the time he grabbed me again, you were all here.”
“I punched Logan in the face,” Grace said baldly. “He started to come at me again, but then he heard Sarah scream, so he took off.” Her voice caught as she looked up at Hugh. “He recognized me.”
Hugh pulled her gently against his chest. “It’s okay, Gracie. Theo and Viggy will run him down. We’ve got a bunch of the Jovanovic bastards already locked up. I’ll keep you safe while we get the rest of them.”
With her face still pressed against him, Grace shook her head. Her voice came out muffled. “There are too many of them. I can’t keep dragging you guys into my mess.”
“I’m sorry.” Sarah stared at the back of Grace’s head as she realized what she’d done, what she’d brought on these people who she’d started to consider friends.
Otto slid his hands from her shoulders to her upper arms in a reassuring caress. “Not your fault.”
“It is, though.” She turned to meet his gaze. “I brought them here. Logan would’ve never even seen Grace if he hadn’t been here for me. I should’ve left after he found me the first time, but I was selfish. I’m sorry, Grace. I’m sorry for pulling you all into this.”
“It’s not your fault,” Otto said sharply, although his hands on her arms still glided up and down in gentle contrast to his abrupt tone. “It’s not Grace’s fault. It’s your asshole brother’s fault. It’s this piece of garbage’s fault.” He flung a hand toward Jeb, who flinched back. “It’s the fault of every single Jovanovic who works in the family business, doing evil things.”
“But if I’d left—”
“You shouldn’t have to leave.” He cut her off. “We’ll deal with this, with these people. Together. All of us. You have backup here. If you were running from strange town to strange town, you’d be alone.”
The thought of that terrified Sarah, but she didn’t want to be selfish. She didn’t have the right to bring harm and possible death to these good people.
Otto’s voice lowered until it was too quiet for anyone but her to hear. “Don’t go, Sarah. Xena needs you here. I need you here. Don’t let them chase you away. They’re hoping you’ll run so that you’ll be easier to catch. See what just happened? Your brother sent two people after you. One ran off after Grace punched him, and the other is cowering on the floor in cuffs. If you stay here, we’ll help you win. Your brother is not stronger than you, not when you have us here to help.”
Sarah hesitated, still not completely convinced, but what Otto had just said… She wanted so badly for it to be reality. One by one, they could defeat her
brother’s allies. She could have allies of her own—friends—and her new job and live in this tiny town she was growing to love. The thought of it made a bubble of optimism start to grow inside her. “Okay.”
Tipping his head down even closer to her ear, Otto repeated, “Okay?”
Her breath caught as the warmth of that question brushed her skin. “Yes. Okay.”
Ever so gently, he gathered her against him in a hug.
She pulled away with a start when the outside door swung open, and Theo shoved a cuffed Logan inside. “Didn’t even need Viggy. This moron was running down the middle of Main Street. If this is the brains of the Jovanovic crime family now, they’re in serious trouble.”
Logan glared at him but didn’t say a word. Despite the handcuffs, Sarah’s heart started pounding at the sight of him. As if he could sense her anxiety, Otto pulled her close again.
“What’s that sound?” Megan asked, but Sarah didn’t really pay attention. She was too busy wallowing in warmth and security, in the scent and feel that was all Otto.
When she pulled away and stepped back, she realized that everyone was watching. Blushing, she ducked, pressing her forehead against Otto’s solid upper arm.
“So?” Grace asked from where she still stood tucked against Hugh. “Are you staying with us, or are you going to let the bastards run you off?”
“I’m staying.”
“Good.” Grace gave her a fierce smile. “I’ll punch a Jovanovic for you anytime. It’s oddly satisfying.”
“I’d like to try it sometime,” Jules said. “I’ve heard it’s nice.”
Sarah’s laugh was a little choked, but that hopeful bubble inside her grew even larger.
“What the hell?” Megan’s roar came from the dining area. “Who brought dogs into my diner?”