Page 43 of Rhett Redeemed
Okay, his little speech is kind of hot, and from Bronte’s wide-eyed look, she must have thought so, too.
Aries walks over and speaks to his brother. “Temper just called. He needs us.”
Atlas quickly stands. “Tell Cam the boss called. Diesel is still here out back.”
“I will,” Bronte replies, and the two of them disappear. “They are so different.”
“Tell me about it. Aries is so quiet, and Atlas never shuts up.”
Bronte smirks. “I know. So you have a thing for bikers too, huh?”
My lip twitches. “I guess so.”
She comes over and wraps her arm around my shoulders. “It will be okay. You’ll end up with whoever you’re meant to be with. And there happen to be a lot of bikers around here, in case you didn’t notice.”
Yeah, but none of them are Rhett.
And I didn’t go looking for a biker; I just happened to fall for one.
Sighing, I look up at the roof of my house later that day, and then at the bucket on the floor which is half filled with water. “Yeah, that is going to be expensive,” I mutter.
Cara had come over after I returned from work. She looks down at the bucket. “I can ask Decker to get up on the roof and take a look; he’s pretty handy.”
I know that Rhett would take care of it if I mentioned it to him, but I don’t want to bother him. He’s confided in me that things with the transition to president are not as easy as he thought and he’s been stressed. One thing I love is how open he is about what he is going through and struggling with. I don’t dare let myself wonder, or ask, how he is relieving stress because we’re just friends.
“That would be nice,” I reply after hesitating. “Only if he doesn’t mind. There’s obviously a hole in the roof somewhere, just what I need.”
“You sure you don’t want to sell this house, Con? It needs a lot of maintenance, which is expensive,” she comments, frowning at the ceiling.
“I know,” I admit. “Maybe you’re right. Actually, I know you’re right. The debts just keep adding up every time I have to fix something.”
“But you’re emotionally attached to it?”
“Something like that,” I mutter. “I know how dumb it sounds. I didn’t even have the best childhood here. But I guess it’s all that I’ve ever known.”
“Change can be good sometimes,” she points out.
She’s right.
And maybe it’s time some change headed my way.
Chapter Sixteen
Rhett
I park my car across the road, keeping my sunglasses and hat on so hopefully no one will notice me, my eyes on the house.
“What are we doing here again?” Dice asks me quietly. When I told him I needed him as backup, he got into my car, no questions asked, and I appreciate the loyalty.
“Yesterday I saw a car following me,” I admit. “I wrote down the plate number and traced it back to this house. I mean, it could have been stolen. It’s registered under a woman’s name. I don’t know, the whole thing is a little sketchy.”
After the whole fiasco with Marko, the Forgotten Children gang leader who wanted me dead, I’m a little on edge. A few months ago I had accidentally shot his son when a gunfight broke out, and Marko was out for blood. I didn’t know the kid was there. They had started the fight, and we were just defending ourselves. The whole thing was messed up, and I was really upset that it happened. If I had known they had a kid with them, I would have just retreated. I still have nightmares about that night.
After that the Wind Dragons sent me away until the heat died down, but instead Marko went after Cara, knowing that she meant something to me. The whole thing was a big mess.
Decker stepped in and protected Cara while I was hiding away, and they fell in love. Everyone told me Cara was safe, but it should have been me protecting her. Just another time I chose myself over Cara. I’m embarrassed to even think about it. Con also got caught in the cross fire. I didn’t know who she was or what was going on, but I found out later she was targeted, too.
“Someone is coming out now,” Dice murmurs, pulling me from my thoughts.