{"id":380,"date":"2023-06-28T01:00:50","date_gmt":"2023-06-28T06:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/?p=380"},"modified":"2024-02-10T10:23:02","modified_gmt":"2024-02-10T16:23:02","slug":"flapjacks-and-fisticuffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/flapjacks-and-fisticuffs\/","title":{"rendered":"Flapjacks and Fisticuffs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It was somewhere past 2 a.m. when the tour van finally creaked into the fluorescent-lit lot of a weathered old truck stop just off I-55. The kind of place that looked like it hadn’t changed since the ’80s, right down to the buzzing neon sign that said Open 24 Hours<\/em> but was missing the “O.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside, it was that surreal mix of too-clean diner booths and dusty shelves of snacks no one had bought in years. Jonah darted for the drink cooler like a kid at recess, eyes wide. \u201cMountain Dew or Code Red? Wait, do they have<\/em> Code Red?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane stayed back near the doorway, arms crossed, eyes scanning. He was tired, road-dusted, and his fur itched under his black polo. Gabriel, next to him, looked about two cups of coffee short of his usual chaos, but still alert\u2014especially when a few locals peeked up at the sight of bare clawed feet<\/em> padding softly on the tile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark had already disappeared somewhere into the back, probably sniffing out the nearest working coffee pot or a fuse box to \u201cfix.\u201d Maya, meanwhile, strutted up to the diner counter like she owned<\/em> it, plopping down on a stool and ordering pancakes like she wasn\u2019t the baddest rhythm guitarist this side of Memphis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when he<\/em> showed up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tall. Stringy. Smelled like diesel and cheap whiskey. That kind of smile you only see in mugshots and back alley ghost stories. He slid up next to Maya, leaned in way too close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Hey there, sweetheart. You lookin\u2019 real fine tonight. You in a band or somethin\u2019?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maya didn\u2019t even look up. \u201cNot interested, cowboy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAww, c\u2019mon now. I like \u2018em feisty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane clocked the guy the second he entered. The tone of his voice\u2014the angle of his lean\u2014it all screamed trouble.<\/em> Gabriel had picked up on it too and was already shifting on his paws, ears twitching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maya stood up, eye to eye with the guy. \u201cYou should walk away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOr what?\u201d he sneered, grabbing her wrist. \u201cYou gonna bite me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane didn\u2019t growl. He didn\u2019t snarl. He just moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One second he was against the wall. The next, he was right there<\/em>, looming over both of them, brown fur bristling under the truck stop lights. His icy blue eyes practically glowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He didn\u2019t roar or shout\u2014he spoke<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou’re going to let go of her. Now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The guy turned, looking up\u2014and then up<\/em> a bit more. Thane was a wall of muscle, claws curled just enough to catch the light. The man faltered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI… I was just joking, man. No harm\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane leaned in, voice low and lethal. \u201cYou lay a finger on her again and I\u2019ll show you what real harm looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The guy backed off fast. Practically stumbled over a mop bucket on his way out. The ding of the door chime sounded like a finish line bell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maya glared at Thane, arms crossed tight. \u201cI had<\/em> that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He just raised an eyebrow, brushing a few silver-streaked strands out of his face. \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHmph.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, outside by the van while the others argued over snack rations and Jonah bounced from soda to soda, Maya nudged Thane’s arm\u2014barely perceptible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026Thanks. I mean, not that I needed<\/em> it. But\u2026\u201d She sighed. \u201cOkay. I was scared. Just a little. But if you tell anyone I said that\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane gave a quiet chuckle and leaned down just enough to nudge her shoulder with his. \u201cWouldn\u2019t dream of it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was somewhere past 2 a.m. when the tour van finally creaked into the fluorescent-lit lot of a weathered old truck stop just off I-55. The kind of place that looked like it hadn’t changed since the ’80s, right down to the buzzing neon sign that said Open 24 Hours but was missing the “O.” […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tour-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=380"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3233,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380\/revisions\/3233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}