“He’s fine, as far as I know.” Dalton paused. “Sorry for the scare. I’m calling about another matter.”
“Okay.”
“Flynn told me you’re sort of the unofficial leader of the Redemption Road guys.”
“I guess. We don’t really have a leader, but I try to look out for everyone.”
“Well, I’d normally go to Matteo about legal situations, but I don’t want to put him in an awkward situation, and since the guy asked for you?—”
“Is this about Tex?” I asked, instantly concerned.
“Tex? No. I’ve got a Joseph Whittaker here.” He sounded as if he were reading the name off a driver’s license. “He said that you’d vouch for him.”
Aw, shit. What had Joyride got himself into?
“Yeah, I know him,” I said. “What am I vouching for?”
“That he’ll stay out of trouble if I give him a chance to straighten up. Can you come by Griddle and take him off my hands?”
That was not the destination I’d expected. I figured Joyride must have landed in jail, or at the very least, cuffed on the side of the road.
I’d get the details later. Right now, I just needed to get to Joyride before he tested Dalton’s patience.
“I’m on my way.” I stood and pocketed my phone, sending a regretful glance down the hallway, where Aiden had disappeared. “I gotta go out, Angel!”
He emerged with a basketful of neatly folded clothes. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just got a friend in need. Are you working tomorrow?”
“Just at the clinic. I’ll go in around noon and cover the afternoon shift.”
“Good. I might not be back until late, but I’m damn sure finishing what we started, even if I have to climb into your bed while you’re sleeping.”
His lips parted. “Oh. Um. Well, you know where I’ll be.”
I grinned. That was as good as giving me permission. It wasn’t how I’d planned to get into his bed, but I’d take it.
I walked over to give him a fast, hard kiss. “See you later, then.”
Riverton wasn’t a large town, so it took me only ten minutes to make it to Griddle, our only breakfast diner. It was on the far end of Main Street, past Sauced, Jerkers, and the Fieldhouse sports bar.
I didn’t see Dalton’s cruiser on Main Street, but when I circled to the parking lot on the side, it was there. I pulled into the nearest spot I could find and cut my engine.
No one was in the sheriff’s car—I checked as I passed—so I headed inside. The smell of coffee and syrup hit me instantly. A sign posted by the front lobby readSeat Yourself.
I walked into the dining room and scanned the scattering of tables and booths. Only about a third of them were occupied. It was still too early for the bar crowd to pour in for greasy food and carbs to soak up the booze.
Dalton waved me over from a booth in the far back corner. Joyride slouched across from him, looking like a sulky little boy who’d been given a time-out.
I walked over to their table. “Sheriff. Joyride. You two breaking bread in peace?”
Dalton slid out of the booth. “I think I’ll let Joseph fill you in.”
Surprise flared in Joyride’s eyes. “You trust me to tell him? I could lie.”
“You could,” Dalton agreed with a nod. “But you know the deal. This was your one free pass. You get into trouble again, and I won’t be able to help you.”
“I know,” he muttered.