****
Stone watched Sadie walk out. Her eyes were sad and her lashes damp. That’s what tears did. Tears he caused. His gaze followed her through the front of the diner until she disappeared on the side of the building.
“Fuck!” he said in a hushed tone. He settled back into his seat at the table next to Krista.
“You okay, Stone?” Krista asked in a sugary tone that made him want to puke. This chick was grating on his last nerve. Bogs had a crazy ability of attracting the most annoying women in a thirty-mile radius. She put her hand on Stone’s thigh and caressed slowly. This was not the hand of the woman he wanted touching him. That woman had just left upset and angry.
Stone lifted her hand off his knee and glared at Krista. “I’m fine.” She put her hand on the table and they all sat in silence. Stone’s mind was on Sadie and how he fucked up again. He needed this girl to get out of his head.
The waitress whose name tag read Brenna came over to their table. “Are you guys all set to order or do you need more time?” She asked with a pleasant smile.
Ethan raised his hand. “If we could have just another minute please?” He smiled his charming Ethan smile and the waitress nodded and blushed. Ethan had that effect on all women. Stone watched the waitress walk away before turning his attention to Ethan. Ethan looked over to Stone, shrugged, and smirked.
Stone stood up. “I’m outta here. Call me if ya hear anything.”
He walked through the diner and out into the parking lot. It was dark and cold. The diner was set in an isolated area off the highway. There were a lot of tractor trailers parked for the night. It would be hard to see if someone was grabbed in between the trucks. Hard to hear someone scream with the noise from the highway.
Sadie shouldn’t be walking out here at night by herself, she could be hurt or robbed or worse. The thought had Stone balling his fists. What kind of asshole boss didn’t walk the girls out to their cars at night? Stone immediately surveyed the lot again. He noticed Ethan grabbing something from his car and T walking to Stone’s truck. Stone came up to the front of the hood to meet T.
“What’s up? You hear something already?” Stone asked.
“No, E wanted to give you something and I needed some air. That fucking Krista girl won’t shut the fuck up.” T scowled, shaking his head.
Stone raised his eyebrows and smirked. “Then why did you bring her?”
T shrugged. “She’s a good lay.”
Ethan walked over to them as Stone laughed. “And the waitress in the bathroom?”
“That girl practically swallowed my dick. No lie,” T said in complete seriousness.
Ethan and Stone shook their heads simultaneously and laughed. Typical T. The guy was born without a filter, and didn’t care what anyone else thought. He would be an asshole if not for his fierce loyalty to his family and those he cared about. Stone knew no better guy than T.
Ethan reached out to hand a folder to Stone. “Here’s Sadie’s file. I forgot to get it to you before you left for Houston last week.”
Stone grabbed the folder and opened it. It wasn’t thick. He sifted through quickly. There were no police reports or arrest records. There was one page that caught his eye. Stone read briefly and looked up to Ethan who had a sympathetic look. He nodded toward the file. “She’s a good girl who was dealt a shitty hand.”
Stone remained quiet. He’d read through it all when he got home. He had a feeling Sadie’s file was going to break his heart.
“Look, Stone, I think you need to talk to her…” Ethan calmly said.
Stone shook his head. “I won’t lie to her.”
“I get that you’re into this girl. I get it. She’s sweet and innocent in all this, but we have to think…”
“I won’t lie to her.” Stone’s voice was firm.
They were at a stalemate. They all stood in silence.
“Let Ethan talk to her then. He’ll smooth shit over, make her understand,” T reasoned with him. Stone met T’s eyes and nodded his head. They had to deal with the situation. Ethan would be the best to explain what needed to be said and ease Sadie’s mind.
Ethan smiled and bundled up his expensive coat around him. “Let’s get back in, it’s frigid as a bitch out here.” Ethan and T started back through the parking lot.
“E, man,” Stone called out.
Ethan and T both stopped and turned around.
“You ever check out her tits again, you and me are gonna have a problem.”
Ethan sneered. “Noted.”
“C’mon, Stone, cut E some slack here. I mean, she’s got a great pair of tits!” T laughed and Stone glared at him.
Fucking brothers, Stone thought, while he watched them walk back to the diner. He smiled and unlocked his door to head home. He had some reading to do.
Chapter Six
As a child, Sadie never played sports. The recreational teams through the town weren’t free. Her mom always came up with an excuse as to why she couldn’t play. She would say Sadie was too short for basketball, not peppy enough for cheerleading, not aggressive enough for soccer. Her excuse for softball was simple, easy, and
