Page 11 of Rebel
My eyes are drawn to the church, my head tilting back so I can see all the way to the top of the spires. “You don’t realize how much you have missed something until it’s staring you in the face.”
Raven is quiet, and when I turn, she is watching me. “What was he like before you left?”
“Colt? He was studying philosophy at Goucher College. My aunt wanted me to go to MICA, the Maryland Institute College of Art,” Iexplain. “It’s close to home too and a great school, but my friends were going to UCLA and in my head that was better than going to MICA.”
“You wanted to spread your wings,” Raven says.
“Something like that. Anyway, I went to UCLA, made new friends, landed a great job, it just was natural to stay. Colt visited a few times, but I never came back until now,” I frown again. “He began studying to be a priest, did whatever it is they have to do to get their collar, then he was promoted to this place.”
“What a lucky day for us,” she bites her lip and smiles.
“Oh no,” I roll my eyes in amusement. “I lived with that through high school.”
“He is dreamy,” she laughs. “A lot more women started attending church when Father Eastwood showed up. Each one thinking they could corrupt him.”
“Ew, seriously.”
She laughs again. “Your cousin is easy on the eye, a kind and caring man, what woman doesn’t dream of that? And hey, I read The Thornbirds.”
“The what?”
“It’s an epic love story spanning decades about a woman and a priest who fall in love. It’s tragic, like all great love stories. And everyone is fucking miserable.”
“Sounds like a riot.”
Raven laughs again. She looks at the wall and gets to her feet. “I’d offer to help, but as we’ve already established, breaking a nail is not an option. I could ask some brothers.”
“No, that’s okay, I like this part of the work.”
“Because you’re weird.”
“Because I’m weird,” I grin back at her.
Raven walks back across the street, but yells over her shoulder. “The girls are coming tonight, you should come. And don’t worry, it’s Sunday so it’s quiet. Hardly any annoying assholes. Oh,” she stops and faces me. “Sorry about my brother. He’s wound so tight he could power a clock with his ass. As soon as I see him, I’m gonna give him hell for bothering you.”
“Don’t worry about it. He’s not the first biker who thought he could scare me.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“Not like that. Kane was good-looking, great in bed, but the fact he was a little too free with his dick made a good thing end way too fast.”
Raven makes anickface. “Please come tonight.”
“If I get finished up here and my back can handle being vertical.”
“No excuses.” She turns and saunters across the street before I can say anything else.
Chapter Four
Rebel
Wiping sweat from my brow, I get off the chest press and grab a towel, running it over my face and neck. I don’t go to commercial gyms, this place is owned by one of the MC brothers. I needed to work off some of the pressure building inside me.
I catch sight of my reflection in the mirror. I’m not one to stare at myself, but I pause for a moment. In the sleeveless top and shorts, I look a million miles away from the vice president of a motorcycle club.
So many people are tattooed these days. Sleeves and neck tattoos used to instill fear or draw unwanted attention. Now every single man in here has ink. A couple of them are businessmen who showed up in suits.
My face is hard, my eyes dark and unreadable. My brows are often dipped low from all the frowning I do. Raven says I don’t smile enough, what the fuck do I have to smile about, especially these days?
