Chapter 1: Chapter Soft Like Thunder: Prologue

I KNEW WHAT TROUBLE LOOKED LIKE.

It came in a lot of forms, some more easily recognizable than others. Today, it was brown-haired boys, rich and cocky with Daddy’s money, basking in their first taste of real freedom.

College freshman boys. They descended on Savage River every year. Once their moms finished decorating their dorm rooms to look like their childhood bedroom take two, and their dads patted them on the back and slipped a few condoms in their pockets, they’d ditch the illustrious Savage University campus to explore the local terrain.

And these boys…these boys with perfect teeth, unblemished skin, bright eyes, and even brighter futures, wandered in to Savage Wheelz. I’d been a skater since I could walk. One look at the three boys who sauntered in under the entrance’s jingling bell was all I needed to tell they’d never touched a skateboard, much less ridden one.

They weren’t here to buy skateboards. They were here to buy trouble.

I’d give them that for free.

I fingered the bat under the counter, narrowing my eyes on the three of them. One was legit, looking around at the T-shirts and decks on the walls. Wheelz was cool as hell, so I was offended the other two weren’t even sparing our gear a glance. They were huddled together, probably discussing which of them was going to talk to me first.

I’d worked at Savage Wheelz since I was fourteen. This song and dance was more than familiar. Boys like them came in at the end of every summer looking to score in more ways than one. Even at fourteen, I never held back from breaking down the truth in tiny little words their smooth brains would understand:

.

That had not changed a single bit in the last four years, and these three boys reeked of money. There were probably some decent, rich people out there. Maybe I’d even met them and hadn’t known. But like I said, I knew trouble, and this brand of rich boy wielded their money like a shield. From behind it, they could wreak havoc and never feel the bounce back.

I knew that all too well.

A decision made, one of the boys approached. He was what I thought of as medium. That bland, in-the-middle type, forgettable the second they were out of sight. Medium brown hair, medium attractive, medium height, medium, medium, medium. I’d feel sorry for his middling ass if he didn’t look like he was one wild frat party away from roofying someone.

Bracing my hands on the counter, I gave him a big, fake smile. Customer service was my jam. “How can I help you, gentlemen?”

He stopped on the other side of the counter and rubbed his chin. Baby smooth, of course. One day, he’d probably have a medium amount of stubble.

“Hey. Are you from Savage River?”

I lowered my chin. “I am. Let me guess, you’re new in town.” I cocked a hip and bit the corner of my lip. Then, as if something dawned on me, I shook my finger at him. “Oh, I bet you’re here for the furry convention. Honestly, I admire you guys for being true to yourselves. Some people say furries are sick, but what do they know?”

Medium guy stiffened. No sense of humor, that one. His friend over by the painted deck chuckled low, drawing my eye. He was looking at me now instead of the merchandise. Blue eyes twinkled right at me. I’d never seen eyes twinkle in my life. That must’ve been a rich boy thing.

The other guy, who was a bit too tall and lanky to be medium like his friend, approached the counter too. Sadly, he wasn’t laughing.

“We go to Savage U,” Lanky guy announced.

I let my mouth fall open like I was impressed. “You do? Wow. Was it hard to get in? That’s just so impressive.”

Lanky grinned. His teeth were big and white. I’d never seen any straighter. Did eighteen-year-olds get veneers? Not the ones I knew, but they weren’t richie riches.

“We worked hard to get where we are,” he explained like I was two. “Are you going to college?”

“Nope.” I popped the P. “It’s not part of my life plan. But good for you.”

“Interesting choice. Do you plan on working at a skate shop all your life?” Lanky asked.

I folded my arms across my chest. “You have to pay my bills before you get to question my life choices. If you brought your debit card, then sure, I’m game to explain my five-year plan. If you want the ten-year plan, we’re going to have to go a tad bigger.”

Another laugh from Blue Eyes pulled my attention. His friends glanced back at him too. He had an elbow propped on a rack, his other hand tucked in the pocket of his shorts. Unbothered and casual, his wide grin said he was enjoying the hell out of the show. I raised a brow. His smile widened even more.

Medium cleared his throat, bringing my attention back to him. “Listen, we got off on the wrong foot.”

“Did we? I’m not convinced we did,” I answered. “I think we’re on the exact right foot.”

Medium huffed. “Are you allowed to speak to customers that way?”

I batted my lashes at him. “Are there any customers in here?”

He mimicked my stance, bracing his hands wide on the counter, bringing his face far too close to mine. I straightened, fingering the bat once more.

“We have money to spend, and we’re more than willing to part with it. Now, you,” his medium-brown eyes flicked over me, “look like the kind of girl who might need money.”

“Really? What kind of girl is that?”

Ignoring my question, Medium went on. “We’re new in town. Classes start next week, but parties are going strong all weekend,” he thumbed in the direction of Blue Eyes, “and my boy could use a pick-me-up.”

“Cool,” I said dryly.

Lanky rolled his eyes. “Seriously, does your boss know how you deal with customers?”

“Yep.”

My boss, Preston, felt comfortable leaving me alone in the store for a few hours at a time of how I dealt with customers. I could be cool when they were cool, but I didn’t take any shit, and I wasn’t afraid to take care of what needed taking care of.

Blue Eyes finally had something to say. “Come on. Let’s go. This was a stupid idea.”

My chin lifted, and I addressed Lanky and Medium, studiously avoiding those twinkly blue eyes. “Your friend is obviously the brains of the bunch.”

Medium’s knuckles went white on the counter, and his jaw clenched. “We simply haven’t come to an understanding yet. As I said, we got off on the wrong foot. I’m Deacon,” he gestured to Lanky, “this is Daniel, and the kid lurking behind me is Theo.”

I said nothing.

Deacon pressed on. “Do you give skating lessons?”

I canted my head. “Is that a real question?”

“Sure.” He rocked back on his heels, smug in his richness.

“I do on occasion when I think someone really wants to learn. I’m too busy to waste my time with posers.” My nail tapped on my bat. “I know that’s not why you’re in here. If you’re not interested in the merchandise, I’ll have to ask you to leave. Nothing else is for sale here.”

Lanky had shifted while I spoke. Now, he was standing in the opening at the side of the counter, essentially blocking my path to the rest of the store. From the knowing expression on his face, this move had been purposeful. My fingers curled around the bat.

Deacon nodded and held his hands up, the picture of innocence. “You’re right. You’ve caught me. We heard from sources there was a pretty girl with long brown hair and red lips who works in a skate shop and has the hookup for the finest weed. Since you’re a pretty girl with long brown hair and red lips, I’m going to assume that’s you.”

My nostrils flared. It was true, I did have a weed hookup. What was also true was Deacon and Daniel were creeps. There was no way in hell I’d be doing business with them. Even if I was inclined to sell to them, I’d cross that line at Savage Wheelz. I respected Preston far too much to put his business in jeopardy.

“Someone’s been talking out of turn,” I replied.

Daniel’s hands went to his hips. “Maybe. Are you saying it’s untrue? Or are you just being a bitch because we have money and you don’t?”

I held up a finger. “First, I’m the only one allowed to call me a bitch. Second, what makes you think I don’t have money?”

He burst out laughing. “Are you serious? Just…look at you.”

“Jesus, Daniel,” Blue Eyes groaned. “Let’s get the fuck out of here. This is done.”

I picked up my bat and rested it on the counter for all to see. “Listen to your pal. He’s right.”

Deacon clucked his tongue. “You’re making a huge mistake. I could’ve brought you a lot of business.” He leaned in, ignoring the bat. “You want to know how easy it is to tell you’re poor?”

I lifted my chin high. “Educate me, big man.”

He sneered. “You might be pretty, but it doesn’t make up for the desperation dripping from your pores. You’re saying no to us, but I can practically hear you panting at the thought of taking our money. The Target T-shirt and dollar lipstick don’t help.”

Blue Eyes moved swiftly, grabbing Deacon’s shoulder. “Time to go.”

I picked up the bat. “Listen to your friend. It’s past time to make an exit and slip back into the primordial goo you crawled out of this morning.”

Blue Eyes—Theo—snickered as he dragged Deacon backward. I met his gaze. He grinned at me. I snarled. That made him laugh again. It was deep and gritty, contradicting his blue-eyed sparkle.

Weirdo.

Movement at my side had me whipping my head to the left. Lanky had crowded into my space behind the counter while I’d been distracted.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I pointed my bat at him, keeping him back from me. “You need to leave with your friends. This is over.”

He smirked. “If you don’t want to sell us weed, maybe you’ll sell something else.”

“You’re kidding.”

He shook his head slowly. “You look cheap, but I bet the head you give with those big red lips feels expensive. I can get it for free, but I’m curious how good it is when you pay for it.”

My entire being was set aflame. I may have been poor. I may have lived in a trailer park with my drunk of a mother. I may have been going nowhere fast. But I definitely wasn’t a rich boy’s whore.

“Get out,” I gritted through clenched teeth.

He laughed. “Come on, pretty. I’ve got a fifty burning a hole in my pocket. I’ll even let you spit when you’re done.”

Seeing red, I shoved him in his bony chest with the end of the bat. “I’d never take the cash you earned from licking your daddy’s boots. Now, get the fuck out before I put this beauty to use.” I shoved his chest again, and he stumbled back a step, hitting the wall behind him.

Pure fury colored his face. “Who the hell do you think you are? Just a dumb bitch who’ll be begging for my cock in a year or two after you’re all stretched out from birthing a couple bastards from men who couldn’t pay you child support, even if they wanted to.”

As it had a tendency to do, my anger got the better of me. I lunged at him with the bat over my shoulder and took a swing. He jerked to the side at the last second, and the bat connected with the wall where his head had been.

“Fuck. You’re not just a dumb bitch, you’re a crazy bitch,” he shouted.

His friends were at his back, tugging on his shoulders, and he was letting them.

“Don’t ever come back here.” I prowled toward them, the bat raised as they backed up. “You are not welcome to set foot in this store. Take your daddy’s money and wipe your pasty white asses with it. It’s no good here.”

Deacon narrowed his medium eyes on me. “I don’t know what happened. We just wanted some weed.”

“Yeah…well, tell your friend not to be so rape-y and maybe lose the narc look.”

They’d backed all the way up to the door. Daniel’s face was bright red. Deacon’s brows were set in waves of confusion. Theo…well, he looked pissed until our eyes met. Then he softened a fraction, and his perfect lips curved into a small smile.

I did not smile back.

“I’ll make sure they don’t come back,” Theo vowed.

I said nothing.

They shoved out the door, and seconds later, the three of them disappeared down the sidewalk. I exhaled a long, heavy breath and pressed a hand to my chest, trying to manually calm my thrashing heart.

Wow. I didn’t like that. Not one bit.

“That was quite an entertaining show.”

My head jerked toward that quiet, quivering voice. A woman stood in the corner near the front window. She was bony and frail, her eyes dancing with amusement.

She giggled like a teenager even though she couldn’t have been younger than thirty. It was a nice sound, especially after being subjected to the three boys I’d just tossed out.

“I’m sorry if I frightened you,” she said.

“It’s fine.” She’d definitely startled me, but she also looked like a slight breeze would knock her over, so I wasn’t going to give her a hard time. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Maybe.” She straightened and walked toward me. Her steps were slow, and something about the way she held herself told me they were also painful. From her clothing and the way she carried herself, this woman was clearly wealthy, but money didn’t buy good health. “I’m hoping we can help each other.”

“Oh?” I was wary of what she’d say next. If I had to chase this poor, frail lady out of the shop, I’d be done for the day.

“I’m Madeline McGarvey.” She held out her hand, and I took it reluctantly, giving it the slightest shake so I didn’t knock her over.

“Helen Ortega,” I replied. “Everyone calls me Hells.”

“Helen’s a pretty name.” When I didn’t reply, her dry lips tipped at the corners. “Well, Hells, I really liked the way you handled those boys. I’d like to offer you a job.”

My breath caught in my chest. I didn’t know what I’d thought she’d say, but it wasn’t that.

“A job.”

She nodded, her expression a mix of pinched and placid. “A job, Hells. A very well-paying job that won’t last more than a year.”

My first instinct was to delicately eject her from Wheelz, but my gut was screaming for me to hear her out. So, I let my bat dangle from my side and took her by the elbow.

“Come sit down. I’ll listen.”

She finally gave me a real smile, and I realized she was much younger than I had originally estimated. Whatever was going on inside her body had aged her by a decade at least.

“You won’t regret it, Hells. That, I promise you.”

I’d listen because I wasn’t stupid, but wasn’t making any promises.

“I don’t have any regrets, Mads. That isn’t my thing.”

“I envy you.” Her chin quivered, but her smile was brave.

We sat down behind the counter, and Madeline McGarvey told me the saddest story I’d ever heard. Then she made me an offer that changed the direction of my life forever.