Chapter 23
“What’s the plan for today?” Demon asked Gavin as the other man waited for his coffee to brew.
“I’m not sure. Probably more of yesterday,” Gavin said without bothering to turn around.
“I figured that much. We did talk about it last night before you went to bed. I meant breakfast.”
Gavin took the finished cup off the pedestal of the coffee maker, blew across the top before taking a sip, then turned around.
“I’m going to hold off on that for a bit. Today is workout day for Ronnie. She won’t be ready to eat for at least an hour after she gets up.”
Demon lifted one brow. She hadn’t said anything last night, but it was possible she hadn’t thought it worth mentioning.
He’d seen the equipment in the room where he’d stashed his bag, but he hadn’t thought about it.
Now that he did, he realized that unlike most home gym equipment, hers hadn’t been covered in a thick layer of dust. It was possible she was a really good housekeeper but given the layer of dust on the TV screen, he didn’t think that was the answer.
“Well, that will give the groceries I ordered last night a chance to get delivered.”
“You don’t waste any time, do you?” Gavin asked as he lifted his cup again.
“Why would I? We needed shit, I took care of it.”
“Did you get the soda I screwed up and drank?”
“I did.” He remembered Ronnie trying to tell him he wouldn’t be paying for her groceries. He didn’t know how she would react when he refused to tell her how much they’d come to, but he was sure it would be amusing. He found there was a great deal about Ronnie he found amusing.
“Let me know how much and I’ll pay you back.”
Demon waved a hand in a dismissive gesture. If he wasn’t going to let Ronnie pay for the rest of the groceries, he wasn’t going to let her brother pay for a lone case of soda.
“You know if her workouts take her out of the house?” Demon sat on the bar stool where he sat for dinner the night before, a cup of coffee in front of him as he leaned against the countertop.
His phone lay on the counter in front of him where he had been scanning headlines and surfing stupid shit when Gavin had come into the room.
“They used to, but I’m not sure anymore. She used to spend time on the weights, then run, but it’s been a while since I’ve been around for one. I’m not sure what her routine is anymore.” Gavin watched him as he took a longer pull from his mug. “Why?”
“If she’s going out, one of us needs to go with her. You’re still waking up. I can go if she’s going to work out or run.”
“I’ll be awake and ready to face the day long before she’s ready to leave the house. In case you didn’t notice, she doesn’t wake easy.”
Demon remembered the way she’d all but snarled at both of them until she’d had what she deemed enough coffee to be civil.
“I’m not sure I like that look on your face while you think about my sister.”
“I didn’t ask how you felt about it. I don’t give a flying fuck how you feel. It’s her feelings that matter.”
“She doesn’t need someone like you.” Gavin took a step forward. He bellied up to the other side of the bar where Demon sat. “She’s dealt with enough shit from our father, she doesn’t need more from your life too.”
Demon’s only movement was to tilt his head up enough to meet Gavin’s gaze now that he was closer.
“Like I said, the only one who’s feelings matter here is hers, not yours.
But let’s get into that a bit. Has anything you’ve seen or heard from or about me, ever led you to believe I would treat her badly? ”
Gavin shook his head. “That’s not what I meant.
You live a life on the edge. The edge of society, the edge of legality, the edge of security.
You could go out on club business tomorrow and she could never see you again.
I don’t want to see her devastated like that.
And don’t think for a minute that if you’re involved and something happens to you, she won’t be devastated. ”
“I’m not saying she wouldn’t be. But I’m not planning on anything happening to me.”
“No one ever thinks something will happen.” His hand clenched around the handle of his mug until his knuckles turned white and Demon wondered if he was going to break the porcelain.
“No, they don’t. And people who don’t live the lifestyle I do, die every day.
I left here yesterday willing to walk away from everything I’ve spent the last ten years building.
I walked in my clubhouse and told them what I’d done and said here.
The information I gave you. I walked into that building ready to turn in my kutte and lose every friend and brother I had. For her. To keep her safe.”
“I notice you still have a kutte, not the same one though.” Gavin’s gaze flicked to where Demon had laid it over the back of the recliner when he’d taken it off last night.
“Yeah, I went in and told them. I was ready to turn in my prospect cut and walk away, but they told me that I was actually voted in a couple of weeks ago, and they’d been waiting for the new kutte to come in.
That happened a couple of days ago and they were working on setting up a patch party before they made the announcement and gave it to me.
We decided to hold off on the party until this is wrapped up, but they gave me the kutte now, to show me that I’m a full brother. They’ve got my back on this.”
“That’s where you’re getting your intel.”
Demon nodded. “What’s not coming from my family, yeah.”
“What else do you know?”
Demon held one finger up, hoping Gavin would understand that he needed to be quiet a moment. Demon thought he’d heard something, but he wasn’t sure what. He sat up and looked around. Nothing moved but he was certain he’d heard something.
Careful to remain silent, he slipped off the bar stool and headed for the hall.
He’d almost reached the opening that led to the bedrooms and bathroom when he heard a soft scuff of something against the floor.
He held his breath, hoping it was Ronnie or the cat and not some intruder who had managed to get into the house while he’d been talking.
Demon tensed, moving one hand around to grip the pistol at the small of his back, but not drawing it, not yet. He just wanted to be prepared.
A moment later, Ronnie shuffled around the corner. Bare feet, oversized t-shirt, and her hair sticking up in about fifteen different directions.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice husky from disuse.
“Nothing.”
“Then why are you standing there, watching me like you’re waiting for me to jump you any minute?”
“I heard something. I didn’t know if it was you or if someone had managed to sneak in.
I was just being prepared.” Demon stepped out of her way, watched her pass, and followed her back to the kitchen.
He tried to keep his eyes off her ass in the short, tight cotton shorts, but failed. “Want some coffee?”
“Am I breathing?”
“I already started it. Sit. I’ll give it to you when it’s done,” Gavin said from where he stood in the kitchen.
“Can’t,” she said shuffling past her seat and around the bar into the kitchen. She went to the cabinet and pulled down a glass, then opened another and pulled down a canister of pre-workout.
Demon watched as she measured out a scoop, ran water into it from the dispenser on the fridge before taking it back to the counter and pulling out one of the little battery-operated milk frother whips and using it to stir her water.
He felt his eyes go wide as he stared at her cup for several seconds.
“What?” she asked.
He looked at her face and found her scowling at him.
“That’s brilliant. It never occurred to me to use that thing to mix the powder in.”
She pulled the mini blender out, took it to the sink and rinsed it before putting it away. “I started it a while back. I hate the grainy texture, and when it clumps, this gets rid of all that.”
“Brilliant. I know we have one of those at the clubhouse. One of the girls was using it for milk the other day. I’ll have to start doing that.”
She tipped up the glass and downed the bright blue mixture in a few long swallows. Then made a face as she set the glass down. “I hate that stuff, but it gets the job done.”
“Why not try a different flavor then?”
“I’ve tried all of them. This one is the least objectionable.”
“C4 right?”
She nodded.
“They have a bunch of flavors, but I can only find the good ones online. What are your workout plans for today?”
She frowned at him for a second. “Resistance training on the machine in the other room, then a run. Why?”
“Cause if you’re going out, someone needs to be with you.” He tilted the top of his head toward Gavin. “He said you might go for a run. I’ll get changed and go with you.”
She shook her head. “You don’t need to do that. I’ll be fine.”
“I’m sure you will be, because you won’t be alone.
” He didn’t argue, just got up and went for the bedroom and his bag.
He needed to pull out his shorts. This wasn’t the first time he was glad he’d gone ahead and gotten the concealed carry running shorts.
He’d hadn’t had to use them for actually running, at least not before today, but he’d worn them, and carried his pistol in them, while playing basketball and they’d done great.
He was on his way from the bedroom to the bathroom to change when he passed her in the hall.
“Take your time, I’ll be ready when you are,” he said, ignoring her snarl as she turned into the bedroom. Her caffeine hadn’t had time to kick in, or at least not all of it, she would be better later, he was sure.