Chapter 15 #2
Without a word, the friend stood and darted for the door. He kept his head down, trying to go unnoticed. It was a smart move. It was only a matter of time before we came for him. When the door closed behind him, Goose gave the guy a tug and said, “Let’s get him out of here.”
We hauled him up between us, arms slung over our shoulders like we were just helping out a fella who’d had one too many. We didn’t stop until we were out the door and at the curb. Memphis let him drop first, and Goose followed suit. The guy slumped against the pavement.
Memphis crouched down in front of him and gave him a hard shake. “Wake up, asshole.”
“Hmmm,” he groaned.
“Hey! Wake the fuck up!” Memphis repeated, louder this time.
He groaned, and Goose bumped him with his boot. That got his attention. He opened his eyes and coughed. “What the hell, man?”
“You don’t conceal in our fucking bar.” Memphis stood as he told him, “You’re lucky we didn’t call the cops on your ass.
But we did confiscate your pistol. I’ll be adding it to my collection.
And just in case you’re as dumb as you fucking look, you’re done here.
You come back, and next time, we won’t be so nice. You got it?”
“Yeah, yeah. I got it,” he grumbled.
With that, we turned and headed for the door. Just before we hit the door, Goose glanced over at me with a smirk. “I gotta say… That sleeper hold move was badass.”
“Glad you think so.”
“You did good, brother.” Memphis clapped my shoulder. “Appreciate you giving us a hand.”
I gave him a nod, not making a big deal of it, but as we made our way back to our post, I felt a little lighter. I wasn’t exactly stepping back into the old life, but I was here, and I was trying. That had to mean something.
By the time my shift ended, the place had settled into that late-night lull where folks had one too many or were close to calling it a night.
Either way, the edge was no longer there, so I didn’t feel like I was leaving them in the lurch as I did my final rounds.
On my way out, I got a few nods from the guys and a few extra-friendly smiles from a few of the girls.
I had to give it to them. The boys had picked some real stunners for both the stage and the floor. Every last one of them had killer figures and perfect hair, but to me, none of them held a candle to Raelyn.
The thought was almost laughable.
Over the years, I’d come across countless women who should’ve had my interest, but I was too caught up in my own crazy head to ever give them a second glance. And now, out of the clear damn blue, I get hung up on some divorcee with two damn kids.
It made zero sense. I knew this, and yet, I missed the peaceful, easy feeling I got when she was close. I longed for it. I’d longed for them, too. Hell, I’d ached for them for five fucking years, but they were gone. There would be no getting them back, but she was here.
Living.
Breathing.
Beautiful.
And she was less than thirty miles from me.
That part stuck with me as I got on my bike and fired up the engine.
The familiar rumble kicked beneath me, and I pulled out without much thought.
I just let the road take me where it may, and it wasn’t long before the tension in my shoulders started to fade.
It didn’t take long before the busy streets had grown quiet, and there were only a few cars and barely any streetlights. And somewhere between one turn and the next, I was on her street and just a few blocks from her house.
I let out a low groan as I eased off the throttle. “Damn, man. What are you doing?”
I could’ve turned around.
I should’ve.
I didn’t. It was after eleven, so I figured the chances of her or the kids being up and hearing me driving by were slim. It wouldn’t have been a big deal either way if I’d just called her or even texted her.
I’d thought about it. More than once, but every time I picked up my phone, I drew a blank and had no idea what to say to her. I didn’t want to say the wrong thing and come off like a desperate jerk. So, I hadn’t said anything at all.
And now, here I was, slowing down as her house came into view.
I was just going to pass by and go about my business. No harm done.
But as I got closer, I saw that her porch light was on, and as I rolled closer, I spotted her. She was sitting on the porch swing, and her eyes locked on mine as I drove by.
She didn’t wave.
She didn’t call out.
She just sat there, watching as I coasted past her driveway.
“Ah, hell,” I muttered under my breath.
I ran my hand over my face, trying to figure out my next move, but I already knew what I had to do. There was no way in hell I could just leave, not after she’d seen me drive by. I slowed a few houses down, eased the bike around, and headed back.
I pulled into her driveway and killed the engine. For a second, I just sat there, staring at the soft glow of the porch light and the woman sitting beneath it. A part of me hoped she would make this thing easier and come out to me, but no such luck.
With a silent stream of curses, I got off my bike and started up the drive. She was still on the swing with her fingers laced around the thick chains and her eyes locked on mine.
I stopped at the bottom of the steps and said, “Hey.”
“Hi.”
“How’s it going?”
“I wasn’t expecting to see you.”
“I know… I was going to call...”
“But you didn’t.”
“No, I didn’t. Maybe if I had, I wouldn’t have ended up here unannounced.” I gave her a slight shrug. “It wasn’t intentional… I was heading home, and the next thing I knew, I was on your road.”
“Funny how that happens.”
“Yeah.”
Silence settled between us, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like that I’d fucked up and didn’t know how to fix it. I motioned my head towards the house. “Boys asleep?”
“They’re at their dad’s.”
“Oh, right.” I studied her for a moment, and something felt off, something more than just the fact I hadn’t called. “There a reason why you’re sitting out here all alone?”
“Couldn’t sleep.”
“You okay?”
“I’d be better if you were up here instead of down there.”
My boot hit the first step before I had a chance to think about what I was doing. It didn’t matter. Hell, there was no use fighting it. Whatever this thing between us was, it was already happening.
And I had a feeling it was going to change everything.