Page 16 of Rage
“She’s hanging in there considering everything she’s gone through.” She still manages to force a smile even though she’s bleeding underneath. I’ve felt that many times before. “Her ex cheated on her with her best friend, and that’s why she was at the bar that night.” I clench my fists; I’d love to go another round with him. “He had the nerve to scare her because he found out she slept with me. His delicate small-dick ego couldn’t handle it, so I picked her up and took her to the shelter.” I shake my head. “She was so shaken up.”
Ava puts her hand on my arm. “She’s lucky she has you in her corner.”
Hell yeah, she does. I look around so no one hears me. “You know how you got to stay here after what happened with your ex?”
She nods.
“Do you think if I ask the men if Rose can stay here, they’ll say yes?”
Her smile grows. “Of course they’ll say yes. I have no doubt.”
Relief surges through me.
A sharp, piercing wail cuts through the air. On the counter is the baby monitor. Hope, Ava and Reaper’s daughter, is crying in her crib.
“I’ll go grab her. You organize a club meeting.” She looks at the ground.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Just don’t rush her into anything. Be gentle... kind... She needs a friend right now.”
I nod. “I can do that.”
Do I want to have sex with her again? I absolutely do, but I don’t want her to think of me as an immature man who just wants to sleep with her. She’s had to deal with immaturity throughout her relationship with her ex, and I can be better than him. I can prove to her that age is just a number and that I can be on her level. I rake my fingers through my hair. I didn’t know it was possible to fall for someone so fast, but I’ve wanted her ever since I first saw her, and I’m stubborn as hell.
“If the MC says yes, just make sure you have a conversation with Dolly about Rose. We don’t need any more complications with the sweet butts. With everything that happened between Twitch and Milly, it’s safer to be clear with Dolly about what’s happening, and if any conversations about her feelings towardyou come up, you need to be able to handle it before Rose steps foot in this clubhouse. Rose needs peace... Be her peace, Rage.”
“I will,” I reply. Though her words—“be her peace”—linger. She’s right, and I will be that for Rose. I think Dolly will be okay about it; she’s never shown an ounce of nastiness to anyone. She’s a cool chick, always up for a good time, but Ava is right. I can’t bring Rose into the drama, so I need to be honest.
Outside I see the men working together. Bomber is sawing the wood; Demon is directing the others, pointing at the deck. Some of the men’s partners, including Milly, Elena, and Sophie, are drinking cocktails, looking like they’re having the time of their lives watching the men at work. Probably because some of the men have their shirts off. Those women are just as perverted as the men here, I swear.
As soon as Bomber sees me, he narrows his eyes. I flinch. He’s spoken to Zara. I’m going to get my ass handed to me. I can fight, but Bomber is a scary man even for me. I’d never lay a hand on him even if he did throw the first punch.
He walks toward me with quick strides. “What the fuck were you thinking?” he grinds out as soon as he reaches me.
Everyone stops and stares. I go as stiff as stone. I’ve never been on Bomber’s bad side before. Reaper walks over to us.
“Zara’s pregnant—do notstress her out even more. I can’t even get her to take a day off, and you’re going around punching people’s partners. You knew the rules!” says Bomber.
I start to respond, but Reaper puts a hand on Bomber’s shoulder and looks at him. “You go take a quick break. Grab a drink if you need to. I’ll chat with Rage.”
I look between them. Bomber storms back inside.
“Don’t worry about it,” Reaper says reassuringly. “He’s stressed about Zara and the baby right now. What happened?”
“It was the woman I spent the night with at Twitch and Milly’s engagement party. But I didn’t know the call was fromher. I just got told from Zara to pick up a woman who was afraid of her partner. She told me the address. I saw she had the same first name, but I didn’t think it was the same person. When I saw her so shaken up”—I run a hand down my face as I clench my teeth—“I fucking lost it. But I only hit him once,” I add, hopefully making it sound not as bad as it was. Did I feel better when he hit the pavement, out cold? Yes, I did.
Reaper rubs his chin, taking a moment. “I get it, but you have to try and compose yourself in the future with those calls.”
I put my hands up defensively. “The guy came storming toward me, yelling. I just hit him first.”
“If you defended yourself, then don’t worry. I’ll talk to Bomber. It’s got nothing to do with you—he’s just worried about his wife.”
“I wouldn’t say it was self-defense, but he came at me.” I’m honest about it. “I was just with Rose,” I add.
“Oh, you should have stayed with her.” He looks at the men building the deck. “We’ve got this handled.”
I wish I’d known that before I left. “I promised I’d help.” I don’t go back on promises.
