Page 54 of Rush
"Stay away from her, do my job from a distance, stop following her around like some obsessed asshole."
"And if she comes to you?"
The question makes my chest tight because I haven't thought about that.
What if Everly comes to me? What if she pushes like she did Friday night?
"I don't know," I say.
"You’d better figure it out, because from what I've seen she's not the type to give up easy."
He's right. Everly's persistent and sharp and she doesn't back down.
But maybe if I stay away long enough she'll move on, find someone who's not carrying the weight of shooting someone kind.
Someone who's not one bad day away from proving he's exactly the monster he thinks he is.
Someone who deserves her.
I want that for her even if it kills me.
Because she deserves good things and I'm not one of them.
No matter how much I want to be.
8
EVERLY
I give Rush three days of space before I decide I'm done with that too.
He wants distance, he can have it, but I'm not disappearing just to make him comfortable.
I show up at the clubhouse late afternoon and he's in the garage. I can see him through the open bay door working on his bike.
His back is to me and his shoulders are tense. He knows I'm here before I say anything.
"You're avoiding the clubhouse," I say.
He doesn't turn around. "I've been busy."
"Liar."
"Everly—"
"Relax, I'm not here to make a scene." I walk further into the garage. "Just wanted to see if you were still alive."
"I'm alive."
"Debatable."
That gets a reaction. His shoulders shift slightly and I know he's fighting a smile.
Good.
I lean against the workbench and watch him tighten something on his bike. His hands are steady and sure.
"Pyro told you to back off," I say.
