where have my manners gone?” she asked.
Around a bite of cold eggs, Denny snorted. “Like you ever had any?” He tipped an imaginary hat toward Quinton. “I’m Denny, a good friend, so don’t let her tell you otherwise.”
Sweetly, Ashley said, “Now, Denny, what else would I ever call you?”
His robust laugh showed off a silver tooth before he gave his attention back to a befuddled Quinton. “She calls me a lot of things, but I know she doesn’t mean any of them. It’s her way of showing affection.”
“So you two are…affectionate?”
Ashley rolled her eyes. “What are you doing here, Denny?”
Pointing at Ashley with the fork, he frowned. “When you didn’t show up at your apartment, I started to worry.” To Quinton he added, “Believe me, I can worry with the best of the old biddies. Luckily, I know the places Ash frequents, and her yellow Civic is easy to spot.”
An affronted breath stuck in Ashley’s throat. “I knew I was being followed.”
Denny’s interest in the food disappeared, and his teasing fell silent beneath thick menace. Expression volatile, he laid the fork beside the plate and swiveled to face her. “Someone’s been following you?”
Damn, she had a big mouth. “You,” Ashley reminded him with hope.
“No.” Food forgotten, he swiped the paper napkin over his mouth and shoved the plate out of his way. “I was at your apartment this morning because it’s possible Elton Pascal was spotted in the area.”
Oh shit. Elton Pascal. Her skin crawled with the possibilities of that bomb-crazed maniac on the loose. “I figured that nutcase was long gone.”
Quinton asked, “Who is this?”
They both ignored him. “I figured he was, too. With the Feds onto him, as well as state and local officials, a smart fellow would’ve hightailed it outta town. But we already know Elton’s not the brightest bulb around.”
Quinton looked between them. “Who’s Elton?”
“God.” Ashley dropped her forehead into her hands. “May must be frantic.”
“May is safe in Jude’s house, which is where you should be if you weren’t such a stubborn cuss. Besides, she was mostly fretting about you. I promised to make sure you’re okay. But I never followed you. By the time I got the news, you were already gone from work.”
Elton Pascal. Ashley closed her eyes for only a second, then snapped them open again. “It’s nothing, Denny.”
“Bullshit.” Denny’s graying brows bunched down over shrewd eyes. “You said you were followed.”
“Only because I thought you were following me. I didn’t actually see anyone.”
Tired of having his presence discounted, Quinton lost his temper. “I have no idea who this Elton Pascal person is, but Ashley was a little jumpy when she got to work last night, and she told me then that she felt like someone had been tailing her.”
Of all the nerve! The last thing she needed was someone to fuel Denny’s mothering instinct. “Stay out of this, Quinton.”
His glare plainly said not on your life. “By the time I got here this morning, Ashley was already inside. As you said, her Civic is easy to spot. I started in, but I noticed a car across the street just watching the diner. It was an ancient Buick, white but covered in rust and dirt. When I started to approach, it pulled away.”
With each word Quinton spoke, Denny seemed to get bigger. Ashley figured it was the bulging of muscle that gave that impression.
The fury built in his scarred visage. “Why didn’t you call me?”
Alarmed at the outburst, Quinton again started to stand. Ashley shook her head at him. Denny didn’t scare her, but the rest of the folks in the diner were getting nervous.
“Calm down, King Kong. You’re making the natives restless.”
Denny peered around, scowling at one and all, until his gaze landed on Quinton. With a roll of his eyes—but in a quieter voice—he said, “I respect the intent, son, but she doesn’t need protection from me.” Then to Ashley, his tone moderated, “You damn well should have called me right away.”
“Don’t come in here bossing me around, Denny. You might be known for bullying fighters into shape, but I’m not that easy. And don’t you dare go upsetting May with any of this. This is her time, and God knows she deserves it. If someone is following me, which I doubt, there’d be absolutely no reason to assume it’s Elton. He doesn’t even know me so—”
Suddenly Quinton snapped to attention. “I knew I recognized you. You’re Denny Zip, DZ, the legendary trainer of the SBC.”
The smoke settled around Denny, and he actually preened. “That’s right. You’re familiar with the sport?”
“What red-blooded man isn’t?”
Denny went from ignoring Quinton to admiring him. “When you approached that car, what did you plan to do if he hadn’t driven away?”
He shrugged. “Whatever I had to. Something about it didn’t feel right, and with Ashley inside, I wasn’t going to take chances.”
New respect brought a smile to Denny’s face. “You’ll do.”
Quinton gave a droll, “Thank you.”
Ashley stared at the ceiling. She had a feeling that with Denny’s stamp of approval, Quinton would be in her life whether she wanted him there or not.
Crossing his arms on the table and leaning in, Denny said, “Hey, do you realize you’re dating—”
“We’re not dating,” Ashley clarified. Not yet, anyway. “We’re only sharing one breakfast.”
“The future sister-in-law to Jude Jamison?”
“Damn it, Denny.” She had really wanted to keep that to herself for a while longer. As a movie star and celebrated cage fighter, Jude’s name was well known.
“No shit.” Quinton blinked at Ashley. “That’s the wedding we’re going to tomorrow?”
Ashley twisted her mouth in disgust. Men. In so many ways they were all the same. They shared an admiration for cars, boobs, and brutal sports. “Jude’s marrying my friend May, but May and I…” She tripped over the words, then finally spit them out. “We aren’t sisters, so I won’t be Jude’s sister-in-law.”
Denny blustered a moment, his expression odd. “Yeah, well…” With palpable discomfort, he insisted, “You’re just like sisters, anyway.”
What they had was better than a blood bond, and that was what mattered most. Ashley nodded. “You’ve got me there.”
Quinton again glanced at his watch. “I’m sorry, but I’ll need to get going soon or I’ll be late.” He,
