Page 29 of Puck (The Lost Boys MC)
I made my way outside and back toward my bike where I perched and watched that black SUV. It stood out from the throng of cars parked in the parking lot and not just because of its color. The windows were almost fully tinted. The damned thing was massive, almost taking up the entire parking spot it sat in.
Then, after waiting for damn near an hour, Brigid finally reappeared.
And the SUV still sat in the parking spot, unclaimed.
“All right, we can go,” she said as she strutted toward me.
I handed her helmet back to her. “How were things?”
She ripped it from my grip. “Fine.”
I clenched my jaw. I wanted to ask her why the fuck she was being so cold toward me even after knowing that I had every intention of calling her. I mean, she obviously led a life that was less than pleasing to the public eye. So, she of all people should’ve understood why I couldn't have stayed all fucking night with her like some lovesick little puppy she picked up off the side of the god damn road.
Okay, take some breaths. You’re with her all night.
She snickered as she slid her helmet over her head. “The hell are you trying to breathe through? The stress of sitting out here in the sun?”
I whipped my leg over my bike and put on my own helmet. “Your family finished things at the clubhouse.”
She climbed on behind me. “Great. You can take me back to them, then.”
I cranked up the engine. “Actually, I have explicit instructions from your father to take you back home. He gave me your address and personal cell number.”
She flinched. “He did what?”
I chuckled as I revved my engine. “So, it looks like I would’ve gotten your information to call you no matter how this ended up.”
I backed us out of the parking lot when she didn’t respond and kept my eyes looking out for anyone that might’ve been tasked with following us. But the further away we got from the rehab without so much as that SUV in sight, the more I relaxed. Not all the way, of course. I still looked for plain cars, beat-up cars, and pick-up trucks that might’ve tailed us. And to be safe, I took the long way back to her place while I listened to her sigh dramatically in my ear.
As if that would make me go even faster.
“Can you just get me back to—”
I pulled into her complex. “Home sweet home.”
She scoffed. “Took you long enough.”
I parked in front of her apartment and she got off as quickly as she could. She practically threw my helmet at my chest, forcing me to catch it as she sprinted in her heels toward the steps. I watched as she rushed all the way to the top floor before she peered over the railing.
And as she let herself into her apartment, I heard her door slam closed all the way back down at my bike.
Fucking grand.
I gave her a few minutes of peace before I gathered myself. I stored my helmets away and pulled out my go-bag before I headed up the stairs. I knocked on the door, waiting for her to let me in as she shuffled toward it from the other side.
And when she cracked the door open, she looked even more pissed than when she had left the back of my bike.
“Dad tells me you’re supposed to be staying tonight?” she spat.
I nodded. “Yep.”
She swung the door open. “You’re on the couch.”
I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
She paused. “I beg your pardon?”
I closed the door and flipped the lock. “You heard me. What in the absolute hell is wrong with you? Do you not get why I couldn't stay with you last night? Why I couldn’t just stay and wake up with you? Has that not become piercingly clear?”
She slowly turned to face me. “First of all, nothing is wrong.”
I dropped my bag and walked toward her. “And second of all, you’re a shit liar. You're pissed that I left before you woke up and that made you feel some kind of way and genuinely, I’m sorry for that. But if you can’t see why I had to do that in order to protect you and my guys, then—”
She puffed her chest out with pride. “I can take care of myself.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second, but forgive me if I gave a shit anyway. Seems like you don’t give a fuck whether someone cares or not.”
She pointed her finger in my face. “You left without a word. Without a fucking trace. And then I find some creepy-ass note in my purse and I’m not supposed to feel like you’re some kind of ultimate stalker? Especially when my family shows up for a meeting and you’re part of the crew we’re helping? Do you honestly not see why I’m pissed right now?”
