Chapter 9
I was sitting across from Letty.
Rhode was to my right and we were scrunched on the loveseat in the corner of Smutties.
Not because there wasn’t room for us to spread out a little but because Rhode insisted on sitting close.
His thigh was pressed against mine and his arm was resting on the back of the couch.
That meant I was mostly leaning into him.
This was good and bad.
The good part was obvious—I was leaning close to Rhode.
The bad was two-fold—I was leaning close to Rhode so my concentration was shot. I wanted to rub up against him or crawl into his lap again and hold on tight or maybe pinch him to make sure he was real. My thoughts were scattered and wandering.
The other bad part was; being so close I could feel the anger rolling off Rhode.
It started when I told Letty that Kiki came to my house.
The mix of relief and happiness on my best friend’s face was painful to see.
I know Rhode felt the same because he knew what would come next.
And it happened in slow motion. Letty’s smile faded, shock crept in, then sadness, and finally hurt turned into extreme fury.
Rhode’s body tensed.
Letty’s face was set to thunder.
And I was pissed right the fuck off.
“Please tell me that didn’t happen,” Letty whispered.
“Please tell me my sister did not take a vacation.” She added finger quotes and I pinched my lips together at my friend’s jerky, irritated movements.
“And put my parents through hell.” She finished and flung her arms wide before they dropped in her lap.
Okay, so, I was incorrect. I wasn’t pissed right the fuck off—I was nuclear. And Letty was so furious it decimated her.
In life, I’d tried and succeeded in never hating anyone.
I disliked, I even loathed, but hate was off-limits.
Hate felt like a place you went to die—where your insides rotted from bad feelings.
But at that moment seeing my sister of the soul—my best friend, a woman who had stood by me through thick and thin, held me up after my parents died and held my hand when I pushed out my son—seeing that person crushed; hate filled my heart.
“Letty,” I returned just as softly.
“No, hell to the no, Brook!” Letty flew off the couch.
I quickly stood and Rhode followed.
“Letty, please calm down and listen for a second,” I pleaded.
“Calm down? My sister ran the fuck away like a toddler having a temper tantrum and you want me to calm down? I’m gonna wring her neck and this time I’m doing it for real.
I’m gonna slap the shit out of her for what she put Mom and Dad through, then I’m gonna choke her for what she said to you.
And after that, I’m gonna smack her again for putting me through this shit. ”
“Letty!” Rhode boomed. “Sorry to say but your smackdown’s gonna have to wait a few days.”
“And I’m sorry to inform you, big guy, but that’s not gonna happen. I’m closing the bookstore and hunting her ass down right now, and when I find her I’m knocking some sense into her.”
“Babe,” Rhode growled.
I took a moment and let Rhode’s rumble roll through me. I took another moment to think about how much I liked him calling me ‘babe’. And I might’ve taken an extra second to wish I had more time to enjoy it. After I did that, I stepped in front of Letty to stop her from pacing.
“There’s more, Lets, and you need to listen. Earlier you said something wasn’t right with Desi, that you felt it in your gut.”
“Oh my God. Right.”
“You were right. Desi lied about Kiki being abducted. And if she lied about that, what else did she lie about?”
“I knew it!” Letty exclaimed.
“You’re not gonna like this next part, but I promised Rhode if we told you Kiki came by you’d keep it a secret. Just until Rhode can look into Desi.”
Letty’s head tilted in confusion and she shrugged.
“Why wouldn’t I like that?”
“You can’t tell your mom and dad,” I rushed out in a whisper. “Just a few days, maybe less.”
Letty’s eyes got big and her body jolted.
“What?” she screeched.
My gaze shot around the store, double-checking no patrons were perusing the shelves. Thankfully, it was early and Smutties was empty.
“Letty—”
“We need to get a man on Desi,” Rhode cut in.
“When she finds out we know she lied, she’ll bolt.
Once we got what we need in place and the news spreads we know she lied, and she bails we’ll be able to track her.
She starts making calls, we’ll be listening in.
Part of that is so we can understand why she lied, who she’s covering for, and what her part in that is.
The bigger reason is for your family’s protection and that includes your sister. ”
“But my parents wouldn’t tell anyone.”
“Shit like this has a way of leaking out. I get you wanna put your parents’ minds at ease and I know you wanna do that now. But you wait until we got eyes and ears on Desi and you can do that with the added assurance you’re all safe.”
“Are we not safe?” Letty asked and gave me big eyes.
Rhode didn’t hesitate.
“Earlier you laid it out. Your gut told you something wasn’t right.
And it’s not. Now, my gut’s telling me with all you shared, your sister hooking up not with just any member of the Horsemen but with the president of the club, her showing up, Desi lying about what happened, no, your family’s not safe.
But you have my word we’ll make you that way.
We just need a few hours to get everything in place. ”
“But—”
“Straight up, Letty, Brooklyn and Remington are caught up in this. Your sister stood in Brooklyn’s yard and threatened not only her but my son.
I don’t think I need to remind you that I’ve yet to get to know my boy and no offense, but no one’s taking that opportunity away from me.
Not you, not your parents, not your sister, and certainly not some fuckin’ MC and whoever Desi’s running with.
So, really, I’m not asking you to keep this under wraps—I’m telling you not to say a word about this to anyone until I have what I need in place to protect Brooklyn and Remy.
Now, Brooklyn said she trusted you to keep this quiet.
I know it sucks, but don’t make her a liar. ”
I watched my best friend’s face pale and her eyes close.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to kick Rhode in the shin for laying it out, or to strangle Kiki, or to find Desi and shake her until she told the truth.
Further, what Rhode said hit me square in the chest. Remington was in this mess.
At the time I hadn’t taken what Kiki had said as a threat, but now thinking about it Kiki’s snide comment about telling Zeus—again, stupid name—unnerved me.
I didn't know exactly what I’d done beyond offending her but I suppose that was all it took for criminals to lash out.
I didn’t know jack about the ins and outs of MCs.
What I did know was I didn’t like Kiki going back to their sleazy hangout and mentioning my name or Remy’s or Rhode’s.
“Why would she do this? I don’t understand how she could do this to Mom and Dad or to any of us.”
“I don’t know, Lets. She was standing right in front of me but it wasn’t Kiki. Not the Kiki I grew up with. Not even the smart-mouthed, teenage-drama Kiki. She was so pissed and hateful I didn’t recognize her.”
Letty’s gaze went to Rhode and she lifted her chin. I knew that look well; she was gearing up for a staredown—one that would go on a while because she was stubborn. I didn’t think this would bode well for her. Rhode didn’t strike me as a man who’d back down from a staredown, or at all.
So there I stood, waiting until the appropriate time to step in and end Letty’s obstinance and Rhode’s silent appraisal.
However, before I could, Letty shocked the hell out of me and dipped her chin, Rhode jerked his, and in some weird, silent communication the two of them came to an agreement I didn’t understand.
“You’ll take care of them?” Letty asked.
“Absolutely.”
Firm.
Resolute.
And I didn’t think either of them was talking about the Kiki-slash-Desi-slash-Horsemen situation.
“I won’t say anything to my parents,” Letty acquiesced. “But please do what you’ve gotta do quickly. My mom’s holding on by a thread. And my dad…”
Letty let that hang and my heart squeezed.
“You have my word. We’ll get this done quickly.”
Then Rhode turned his head and looked at me. No, he didn’t just look at me; he pierced me with his warm, dark eyes.
“Gotta get back to the hotel and brief the team. You staying here?”
“Yeah. I have to work before I go pick up Remy.”
Those dark eyes continued to take me in.
And I’d swear Rhode was making me a thousand silent promises.
That might’ve been my romantic side being wishful.
Or I could’ve been an idealistic fool hoping Rhode lived up to the man I’d dreamt about.
Or maybe I was plumb stupid and he was just looking at me.
“I’ll be back before you have to go get Remy and I’ll follow you to his school.”
“What? Why?”
“Because this morning Kiki threw down and until I know what’s going on with her, you and Remy will have someone following you. Today that someone’s gonna be me.”
“But—”
Rhode’s expression blanked and he interrupted me. “Don’t worry, Brooklyn, he won’t see me.”
I tensed at the unexpected harshness in his tone.
Now, I was a fairly calm person. I liked to think I could keep a lid on, keep cool and not overreact. But hearing Rhode’s insinuation, I found the lid wasn’t screwed on tight and it flew right off.
“What exactly are you accusing me of?” I snapped.
“Not a damn thing,” he returned with the same heat.
“Then what’s with the comment for me not to worry because he won’t see you?” I asked and when Rhode didn’t respond right away I continued. “That tells me you think I don’t want him to see you.”