Page 15 of Carlos
He didn’t know why Bulldog was being cryptic, but he did know that it had to do with Clara. And Carlos was very interested in learning more about her.
Finally, Cassie agreed. They had to go through the house to get to the ramp for Bree. The difference in Cassie’s anxiety from being inside to outside was visibly noticeable. Her entire body tensed and she walked like she had a hundred-pound weights tied to her ankles. Carlos was about to nix the whole thing and take Cassie back inside when she took his hand.
Looking down at his niece, he saw her gave him a tight smile. “Let’s do this.”
Carlos nearly missed it. The new path the club had put in surrounded the clubhouse, pavilion, pond, and the Pentagon. It was about a half mile long around and made out of smooth cobblestone so Bree’s chair and the kids’ strollers and bikes could travel easier. Carlos knew about the path being built; he even brought his mom over to take walks with some of the ladies when the weather was nice. The club had started the construction a year ago when Bree had still been in the hospital. They did not want her to be restricted to where she could go because of her wheelchair.
What he hadn’t known about was the second path. It wasn’t obvious, and he could understand missing it. The only reason he noticed it was because of a broken branch. One that a little boy likely kicked in his tantrum at being taken away from the swing set he’d been playing on.
Carlos didn’t know why, but he knew that Clara and Kyle had gone onto that second path. Unlike the main path, it wasn’t marked or cleared. It was dirt and grass with foliage and trees. But once he saw it, he couldn’t lose it.
With Bree and Cassie in tow, he couldn’t follow the second path. They were walking slowly for Cassie, who seemed to be concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. Carlos was still holding her hand. Bree couldn’t hold her other hand and push herself in her wheelchair, so Cassie had her hand on the handle of Bree’s chair.
Carlos’s balls did not mind the slow pace. Plus, he was enjoying catching up with his niece and Bree. Though Bree also called him ‘uncle’, Carlos was not one of her club uncles. She’d picked up on Scotty referring to Carlos as an uncle when she’d first come around the club and had followed his example.
Bree was telling Carlos how she did not want to have a birthday party. It was coming up on her year anniversary of her kidney transplant surgery. She was also starting high school in the fall. Since the only people in Mount Grove that she knew were already in the club, Bree had asked Angel not to throw her a party. Instead, she wanted to throw Cage, her kidney donor, a “thank you for saving my life” party.
“You’ll come, right?” Bree asked around Cassie.
Carlos hadn’t been to a club gathering since Bear and Tessa’s wedding. He’d declined attending Harper and Lucky’s. There was no way that he was getting out of attending Bulldog and Abby’s though. His own mother would flay him alive if he even suggested it.
Carlos regretted missing Harper’s wedding. He’d thought distancing himself from the club would help soothe his monster, but he’d been wrong. The monster couldn’t be soothed.
“Of course,” he told Bree. He wasn’t about to disappoint the girl, regardless of his earlier feelings. He needed to make peace with what he had done, what he knew had been done, and what he might have to do in the future.
Maybe he should make an appointment to see Dr. Rutenberg, the town’s therapist. He’d need to be vague about some things, but it couldn’t hurt to talk to the man.
They made it all the way around the circle. It took them about a half hour. Bulldog was waiting for them outside his house and walked towards them as soon as they were in view. He wrapped Cassie up in his arms and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“Proud of you,” he whispered against her hair.
Cassie was shaking and hung tightly onto Bulldog. “I did it.”
He squeezed her tight, rubbing his hand up and down her back. “Yes, you did.” Bulldog turned so they could continue their walk towards his house. He kept Cassie against his side, an arm around her shoulders. She clung to him like she needed to borrow his strength to make it the rest of the way.
Bree headed towards her house. Carlos still hadn’t seen Angel, but both her car and motorcycle were in her driveway. Was she not at work then?
As they neared Bulldog’s house, Carlos pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “I think I’m going to take another loop around.”
Bulldog nodded once. “Thank you,” he said and guided Cassie inside. She waved behind her at Carlos just before the door closed. Carlos wasn’t sure if she saw his wave back.
Kyle was in his hiding place. Zoe had been expecting Jenna to visit, maybe bring them some lunch plates or to scold her for leaving so abruptly. As soon as Zoe saw it was the cute deputy, though, panic took hold once more. She had an emergency button that would alert the club that she needed help, but what could they do? It would go to Bulldog and Ghost, and she’d been around long enough to know that this specific cop with those sweet eyes and kind smile was Bulldog’s brother.
He wouldn’t stand between her and his brother. If the deputy was here to arrest her, she was screwed. Why had she come here? Why had she left Montana?
She knew Montana was only meant to be temporary. The cabin that she and Kyle had stayed in was not to be their permanent home. Conner had meant to bring her to Mount Grove once he was no longer a prospect for the club. The only thing that differed from his original plan was that he was no longer here with her.
Conner would have stood between her and the world if he was still alive.
Now she had a deputy knocking on her door and no Conner to help her. Jenna had said that she trusted the deputy, that Steel did too, but a deputy was obligated to follow the law. And the law said that Zoe was a criminal.
Knowing she couldn’t hide, Zoe opened the door to face her fate.
CHAPTER 6
Zoe’s jaw hung open. A date? Had she heard the man correctly? He’d tracked her down to ask her on a date?
“I’m sorry, what?”