Damn it to hell, he didn’t know what hurt more. The knowledge she moved on and he missed his shot or the knowledge the pretty boy with class was better for her than him.
“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath.
“J?”
His gaze snapped to Della, his beautiful niece, standing right there, and he’d just cursed. Beautiful Allie had the ability to shred his insides apart, making him forget where he was and who he was with.
“Sorry, Della. Don’t repeat what I said.”
She nodded, her eyes softening. The kid was too smart. She sensed something was up.
He put his hands under her arms, lifting her, and tucked her against him. Then he whispered, “Gonna get food somewhere else. This place is too crowded.”
“Okay.” She rested her cheek against his chest.
It made him feel a little better.
****
Allie closed the door behind her and locked it. When her cell phone rang, she dug into her purse to find it. Several rings later, she answered.
“How’d it go?” Tiffany asked.
She shrugged.
She’d just been on her first date post-split Wyatt. Keith, blond, blue-eyed, and handsome, was an attorney and a single dad to a two-year-old boy, Henry. Allie saw him every morning when he dropped off his son at daycare, but she’d never spoken to him until recently, until Tiffany told him she was single. He asked her out. She said yes.
Turned out, he appeared completely perfect. He was not only handsome, but a gentleman, opening doors, standing when she went to the rest room, and a good conversationalist, too. He’d talked about his son with pure adoration and his work like he loved it. He asked her questions, nothing too personal, got her talking and feeling comfortable.
The date had been great, but nothing about him, as perfect as he appeared, made her want to start a romantic relationship. No chemistry, as simple as that. She wanted to believe her last relationship held her back, but it wasn’t the case. As perfect as Keith appeared, the entire night her mind drifted, and when it drifted, it settled on Jace.
“It went well.”
“Great. Are you going to see him again? Did he ask you out?”
She dropped her purse on the couch, then headed into her room. “He has my number.”
“You don’t sound too excited.”
Slumping on her bed, she began removing her shoes. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Tiff. I mean the guy seems perfect. He’s sweet and kind, but something’s missing.”
For several moments, silence hung in the air. “You’re still in love with him?”
This took Allie by surprise. She’d never mentioned Wyatt to Tiff. “I…”
“It’s normal. I mean you were with him for a long time.”
No, whatever she’d felt for Wyatt had since been buried. Jace was the reason, but she couldn’t admit that. “Wyatt killed any love I had for him. It’s just—”
“Trust.”
Her brows drew together. “What?”
“It’s hard to trust after…” Her voice trailed off. “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business. It just occurred to me you never told me the story. Cuss mentioned something, and I…well…it’s none of my business.”
“Cuss mentioned Wyatt?”
Tiffany sighed. “Please don’t be mad at him. We’re really good friends, and well…I saw you on the news, and I asked, and he said your ex cheated so…”
“I’m not mad. Cuss is a great guy, and because of him, I have this great job, so—”
“I think so, too.”
Her ears perked up. She waited, hoping Tiff would say something else about Cuss.
“Listen, I’m sorry I told Keith to ask you out. I never meant—”
“Tiff, it’s not a big deal. I had a great time. It’s just…maybe it’s exactly what you said. Maybe it is hard for me to trust after Wyatt. The thing is, I had reservations about Wyatt when we met, and then he cheated. I don’t want to make the same mistakes. I’m not saying Keith is like that. I don’t know him, but there’s no chemistry, and I don’t want to settle. Last time I did, I got hurt.”
“I understand.” Tiffany paused. “Look on the bright side. You said he’s sweet and kind. It never hurts to have an extra friend, especially one who’s an attorney.”
She chuckled. “So true. Never know what kind of trouble I’ll get into working at a daycare.”
They talked for several minutes while she changed into a pair of jaw-string shorts and spaghetti strap shirt, and then she hung up. She connected her phone to the charger, plugged it beside her nightstand, and lay in bed.
Not a moment later, a knock sounded on her front door. She tensed, got out of bed, pulled on a robe, and headed for the door. Looking through the peephole, she caught sight of Tyler. His head angled to the left. She could only see the right side of his face. She swung the door open. He faced her. His left eye was bruised and swollen almost shut.
“Ty? What the—”
“I’m fine,” he cut her off, walking past her, and inside. He took off his cut, set it on her couch, and took a seat.
She closed the door, locked it then turned to him. “What happened?”
“Allie, I’m fine,” he repeated. “Come sit. Let’s watch some TV.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Not until you tell me why you have a black eye.”
He hesitated. His eyes softened, and he admitted, “Got in a fight. I’m fine.”
Got in a fight? Did he think she would settle for that answer? “With who?”
“Some guy.”
“Why?”
“Allie, it’s club shit. Don’t worry about it.”
Club shit? What the hell was the club doing that got her brother a black eye, and why was the damned club so secretive? When she lived at the compound and shared a room with him, she’d seen him take off in the middle of the night. Other times, he’d be gone all night and wouldn’t return until morning.
Allegedly, he worked at the garage, but what he did, she had no idea. She’d never seen him work on a car or bike beside his own. She also often overheard him say he was going on a “run” or he had a “guard,” but she had no idea what it meant. Mia and Lynn told her not to ask questions, that it was club business. She hadn’t. But now that he had a black eye because of club business, she would ask.
“I will worry about it, Ty. I’ll worry because you’re my brother. What the hell is the club doing that got you a black eye?”
He didn’t answer, just stared at her blankly.
Then, it occurred to her. She felt like an idiot not realizing it before. “It’s something illegal. Is it drugs? Don’t tell me it’s prostitution or—”
“It’s not drugs, and it isn’t prostitution.”
“But it’s illegal.”
When he didn’t respond, she dropped her head, pinched the bridge of her nose, and cursed.
He stood, closing the distance between them and grasped her shoulders. “It’s not illegal. It’s not exactly legal either.”
Her head snapped up and met his eyes. “If it’s not legal, it means it is
illegal
, Ty. Whatever it is got you in a fight, got you hurt, which means it’s dangerous, which means it could get you killed, which means nothing has changed. It’s like you’re back in the Army, and I’m going to constantly wonder if I’ll ever see you again.”
His eyes softened. “Allie, it isn’t like that—”
“Tell me what it’s like then?”
He clenched his jaw. Shaking his head, he looked away from her. “Can’t.”
He wouldn’t say. Nothing could break him. Why was he always putting himself in danger? The thought of losing her brother made her sick to her stomach, and she couldn’t do anything about it. He was an adult. It was his life, his choice. Resigned, she released a breath. “Let me get you some ice.”
In her kitchen, she grabbed a plastic bag, put ice into it, and zipped it shut. She handed it to him. He followed her and sat on a stool in front of the counter.
“Want a beer?”
He smiled. She grabbed two beers, flipped the tops off, and handed him one.
“So what’s new, baby sister?”
Leaning against the counter, she sipped her beer. “Went on a date.”
He lifted a brow. Ice bag in hand, he held it against his eye. “Yeah, anyone I know?”
She shrugged. “It’s a small town. You may know him. His name’s Keith. He’s an attorney.”
“Don’t know anyone by that name. How’d it go?”
“It went well, but…”
“But…” he prodded.
“There’s no chemistry.”
He shook his head, chuckling. “You believe in that chemistry bullshit?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Naw, Allie, I don’t.”
“Fine. I’ll say it. I’m not physically attracted to him.”
“That stuff fades anyway.”
He made a good point, but he was forgetting something, something she wasn’t sure he knew since he’d never had a steady woman. There were people you could fall for and people you couldn’t. Only you knew this. Only you felt it.
“You’ve never met someone and from one look knew you could fall in love with them?”
He dropped the ice bag and threw the question back at her. “Have you?”
She hadn’t expected that, and she didn’t want to answer it. “Yes.”
“You’re confusing love with lust.”
“I’m not.” She took another sip of beer. “I’m not talking about love at first sight. I’m talking about being drawn to someone you barely know for reasons you can’t explain. You get this feeling in your gut every time you see them that tells you, if you let yourself, you’ll fall, hard and fast.”
She’d known from the minute she met Jace. The unsettling flutter in the pit of her stomach said it all. She hadn’t known what it was then, but knew now with certainty. She could fall hard and fast with Jace. It had never happened to her before, not until Jace, and it hadn’t yet faded.
Ty understood. He’d felt it, too. His face softened. Emotion shone from his eyes. “Who is it, Allie?”
“Who is she, Ty?”
He didn’t respond, but then again, she hadn’t expected him to.
Chapter Fourteen
Trig rode by her work, parked out of sight, and waited. He didn’t put much thought into it. By now, he did it subconsciously because before today he’d done it so many times, he’d lost count.
The first time, he convinced himself he’d done it for Army, his brother. The next day, he did it again fooling himself with the same excuse. Two weeks later, he tried to go straight home and couldn’t. He couldn’t lie to himself after that. It wasn’t for Army. It was for him. He wanted to know about her life. If she was still dating the man he’d seen her with, if she was happy, so he continued to do it.
By this point, he couldn’t drive by and not stop. He couldn’t drive straight home without driving by, waiting for her to get into her Camaro, and drive off either.
An obsession of the worst kind because the object of his obsession would never be his, but he couldn’t help himself.
He stopped.
He parked.
He waited.
He watched.
He was addicted. He kept feeding his obsession, and he didn’t care.
No one knew. Though several of his brothers noticed him taking off at the same time every day, none asked. They were men, and especially, they were brothers and trusted each other.
At this point, he didn’t care who knew. In fact, he prayed someone would find out, so they’d bust his balls, and maybe then, he’d find the strength to quit her, and silence the addiction.
The doors leading inside the daycare swung open, and she strode out looking like a million bucks in a pair of dark-wash jeans and blue blouse with her hair spilling around her shoulders. She smiled, yet her eyes were soft, looking sad to leave. She clutched her bag against her chest, then headed toward her car. Thanks to the SUV parked beside her, he lost sight of her. He waited for her engine to rev. The seconds turned to minutes, and still, her car hadn’t started.
A troubling feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. Following his instincts, he hopped off his bike and headed in her direction. He caught sight of her, leaning against the driver’s side door of her car. Eyes wide, brows drawn, her bottom lip trembled. A man stood too close holding her arms at her sides, his fingers digging into her skin.
He would intervene. She’d see him, but he didn’t care. Nothing could stop him. Before he moved, the unimaginable happened. The man released one of her arms, raised his hand, and slapped her hard across the face, the sound resonating in Trig’s chest.
He saw red. Adrenaline pumping, he launched himself at him. His body slammed into the man, knocking him to the floor. Landing on the man’s back, he stood. Hovering over him, he grabbed his head and slammed it hard against the ground. A thud echoed. The man groaned, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t. He grabbed the man’s arm and twisted it backward until it snapped. A wail pierced the air.
“Jace!”
In the haze of rage, he heard her voice. Breathing heavily, he straightened and faced her. She trembled. Her face a mask of fear. Her eyes filled with unshed tears, her cheek swelling with the imprint of the man’s hand.
Her beautiful face marred.
Fuck.
He wanted to break the bastard’s arm again, then break every other limb.
He fisted his hands tightly, letting out a deep growl attempting to control the anger coursing through him. Losing the battle, he turned to the man and kicked him on his side, turning him over.
Fuck. Her ex! The bastard lucky enough to have had her! He cheated on Allie, who hadn’t deserved it.
The guy had enough, but realizing who he was, Trig couldn’t help but kick him again, hard.
“Jace!”
Shit. He promised he would never beat a man in front of a woman. He swore he would never lose control again, but he had, and at that moment, he didn’t fucking care. She hated him anyway. Now, she’d fear him, but it couldn’t be helped. Bastard crossed a line, and now Trig knew with certainty what he feared was true.
She’d been running, running from a man who fucking beat her.
“Jace, please…”
He turned. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks, her trembling fingers pressed against her stomach.
He wanted to hold her, console her, do whatever he could to make her better. He couldn’t. He was too angry, and she was too terrified, terrified of him, of what he’d done, of what he was capable of.
“I d-don’t…want y-you…” Her voice cracked.
He took a menacing step in her direction. “You don’t want me to fuck him up?” His voice a low rumble.