Page 12 of Untamed Heart

Penelope pulled in a gasp, her mouth dropping open. “Oh my god. You’re the Foodie Bee.”

When I was trying to come up with a name for my online presence, that was the one my brain kept going back to over and over. It was the tiniest part of my old life that I wanted to keep hold of. A subtle nod toHoneybee.

My smile returned. “Yeah. Have you seen some of my videos?”

“Some of them? Are you kidding me? Try all of them. I follow you on all the socials as well as your Substack and YouTube channel. I think one of the only reasons my husband doesn’t drive me crazy is because he’s worried I’ll stop cooking for him. I have your recipes to thank for that.”

I let out a laugh, and just like that, the pressure in my chest started to loosen. It was always fun running into people who enjoyed my recipes and content. Through my whole broken relationship with Adam, the one good thing I had was cooking. It kept me sane and grounded until I was able to get out.

“I love to hear that. I’m happy to have contributed to a happy marriage.” Lord knew it was the closest I’d ever gotten to one of my own. “I’ve missed it.” I hadn’t been in a kitchen since I packed up and left Adam’s house. It felt unnatural not cooking every single day.

“Where are you staying?” Iris asked. “Is there a kitchen setup you could work in?”

“I’m at the Redbud Inn over in Redemption. The rooms are incredible, but they weren’t set up with anything other than a hotplate and a microwave.”

Lennon twisted toward me. “I don’t know how long you’re planning on staying, but I’ve recently moved in with Pope and my old place is sitting empty.”

Iris waved an excited finger at Lennon. “Oh, that’s such a good idea! I’m a realtor. I actually sold Lennon’s place to her. The cutest little bungalow on a beautiful street.”

“And the neighbors are the best,” Lennon added, trying to seal the deal. “That alone made me sad to leave, but Pope’s place is bigger, and it’s closer to the middle school, so it just made sense.”

“You’re a middle school teacher?” I asked, swallowing down my bewilderment. I’d grown up around bikers, so I was familiar with the type of woman most of them attracted. My mother was one of those women. The ones who were a little rougher around the edges and a lot wilder. Women who loved riding as much as their men did.

Hell, for a time, I’d been one of those women. I’d become addicted to the feel of the wind on my face as I gripped Roe like a lifeline on the back of his motorcycle. Most of the women married to the members back when I was a kid got off on the club life almost more than the men. But that didn’t seem like Lennon, at least not from the very little I’d come to know her in the past five minutes. But I guess if there was anyone who could handle a rowdy crew of hardened bikers it would be a middle school teacher. Teenagers were nearly as bad.

“I’d be happy to rent it out to you. I’ll even give you the friends and family discount.”

Iris leaned in, lowering her voice conspiratorially, “Which is basically free.”

It would have been a lie if I said I didn’t give it a moment of thought, if for no other reason than the kitchen. I didn’t know what my plans were once my father got out of the hospital. I’d already broken the promise I made to never come back, and it wasn’t like I had anywhere else to go. But I wasn’t sure I could handle it. I didn’t know if I could do something so permanent.

“That’s really sweet. Could I maybe have some time to think about it?”

“Of course. There’s no rush at all.”

The bell over the door jangled just then as someone pushed it open, and who I saw walk in when I looked up made the blood freeze solid in my veins. My eyes narrowed as they connected with Satan’s offspring. If there was a family on this planet more evil than the Brady family I sure as hell didn’t want to know about them. Generational wealth and arrogance rotted that entire family to the core. Unfortunately, just like everywhere else in the world, money ruled over morals, so I wasn’t surprised in the slightest to see Tolliver Brady wearing a uniform and a badge that readChief.

When I was nineteen, his father, Randy, had been Chief of Police and the entire department had been crooked as hell, each of them with a vendetta against ever member with an Iron Wraith cut and anyone involved with them. If his spoiled-ass son was in charge now, it couldn’t have gotten any better.

Tolliver had been a few years younger than me in school, but I was still unfortunate enough to have landed on his radar, thanks to our fathers’ mutual abhorrence for each other.

Where the Wraiths had a code that declared family off limits, the Brady’s didn’t have the same hangups. If you were affiliated with my father’s club in any way, you were targeted. As a kid, it made me even more bitter toward my dad and his friends, but asan adult I could see it through the lens of maturity and realized that anyone could have been a target, because that family was just plain evil.

As though drawn by my hatred, Tolliver’s eyes caught on mine, and it took a few seconds, but I saw the instant he recognized me. My stomach dropped to my feet as he bypassed the line in order to head our way. There was no missing the way the air chilled as Lennon’s body went stiff beside me.

“Well look at that. The prodigal daughter returns.” His slick, oily smirk was like spider legs against my skin. “Little Dakota Riley.” He licked his lips and dragged his eyes over me in a way that felt like a gross violation. “You sure did grow up nice, didn’t you?”

There was no shortage of women who liked words like that coming from a man who looked like he did, but I saw past the pretty wrapping to the ugly beneath. Some people believed that evil wore the mask of handsome or beautiful to trick people, and Tolliver Brady was the shining example of that.

“Tolliver,” I said, my voice almost a growl. “I see someone in this town was stupid enough to give you a gun.”

When I was younger Roe used to say my wild streak would get me in trouble. What he really meant but was too nice to say was that mymouthwas going to get me in trouble. Back then, I had no problem speaking my mind, and that usually meant insulting people I didn’t like.

I thought that what my mother hadn’t managed to beat out of me Adam had. But apparently it only took coming back to this place to bring out my bitchy side.

It felt like everyone in the coffee shop was holding their collective breaths. A steady pulse of discomfort was radiating off of Lennon, but any self-preservation system I might have had glitched when it came to the Bradys. It always had. It had onlygotten worse when a girl I used to know, a friend of mine, got involved with him.

My heart ached any time I thought of Layne, so I tried not to.