Chapter 6
Chapter six
Riding
Rico woke very early the next day, happy he was conditioned for it.
Dillon’s warm body was still wrapped around him, and he hated extricating himself from those sexy arms, but he had a plan.
A part of him wanted to stay and help Dillon out of bed, find his clothes for him, and probably a million other things Dillon wouldn’t appreciate him for.
That made calling for a ride and taking off into Gallup a little easier.
He could do things for Dillon, but he had to make them the right things.
The shop he wanted wasn’t open yet, and he’d have to wait, but it would be worth it.
He walked a few blocks and grabbed an overpriced coffee.
He was pretty sure he’d pay for it again if Orlando found out how much sugar was in the fancy drink, but it made the wait go by a little easier, and soon enough they opened.
He looked around the shop as he made his way to the service desk, hoping they’d have what he wanted in stock.
They didn’t. But a franchise closer to Albuquerque did. He could have it there in a few hours if he paid extra. So he did.
While he waited, a text came in from Dillon. Where are you? Abandoning me so soon?
Dillon chuckled and replied. Nope. No way. Running an important errand in town. Will U be there when I get back? Please?
The answer came quickly. No, but come over to mine after practice? Davey will give you directions.
Rico looked at the time. He typed out Okay. That would work out better for him. He needed to be at the track soon, or both Tim and Orlando, and maybe even Davey, would be hunting him down. He made arrangements for them to deliver his purchase to The Ranch then called for another ride.
Practice was brutal. By the time he’d rode a million fucking laps, he was exhausted.
They’d changed the track up, so it was more challenging for him to practice those quad jumps.
He was nailing them before he finished. He’d never considered jumps that long before the leaders had started doing it, but if they could do it, so could Rico.
His heart pounded like a snare drum rolling every time, but he finally started landing them and only crashed hard a few times.
His hip had to be bruised, and he felt it as he walked back toward the house. Rico cut through the pool area and stopped at the mudroom at the side of the house. He pulled off his jersey and dropped his chest plate. The sweat on his back made him shiver in the chilly air.
The main sliding glass door opened, and Davey stepped out. He lifted a hand to wave.
“Tell me why we’re not doing this in Florida again?” Rico asked, but it was only half-hearted. He pulled off a boot and slid it in the cubby hole for boots. There were several pairs, including another one of his, stored there.
Davey grunted. “You have a delivery out front.”
“It’s here!” Rico jerked up, bouncing on one foot as he tried to get the other off in his excitement and nearly toppled over.
“So you know what’s out there?” Davey cocked his thumb toward the front of the house.
“Yes! I can’t fucking wait.” The boot fell to the floor with a clatter. He shoved it in beside the other one and started toward the door.
“What do you intend to do with that?” Davey asked, following him.
“I guess I should have asked if it’s okay to keep it here. Do you mind?”
“I don’t mind, Rico. There’s plenty of room. Damn.” He waved his hand toward the huge garage area. “I’m wondering why you bought it, that’s all.”
Rico stopped and wiggled his eyebrows at Davey, comically. “All work and no play and all that. This is for a bit of fun.”
“Is this about Dillon? He told me to give you his address.”
“I need directions. I’m heading over there after a shower.” Rico crossed the living area and burst out the front door to take his first look at his new toy. It gleamed in the sun.
Davey grabbed his arm. “Hey, be careful, okay.”
“Of course. I know how to ride. Duh.” The new motorcycle was a beauty, and he couldn’t wait to start it up.
“I meant with Dillon.”
“Oh.” He turned and looked at Davey. Rico had a tendency to roll over things—and people—in his path.
He had only been half-listening to Davey until then.
His words grabbed his full attention. Dillon was Davey’s cousin.
They were close. Dillon had been Davey’s idol, his role model.
After the accident, Davey got a tattoo down the center of his back to mark and memorialize what had happened.
But they were both grown-ass men. “I understand what you’re saying, but Dillon knows what he’s doing. ”
“He might, but do you?”
Rico didn’t want to get into it with Davey. He hadn’t thought about the complications. He was living in Davey’s house. Davey was his fucking boss. Rico pursed his lips together.
“I’m not trying to butt in, Rico. I get it. I do. But I’m asking you as a friend to tread carefully. I don’t want to see Dillon hurt.”
“As a friend?”
Davey nodded.
“As a friend. Okay, I’ll be careful. But as my boss?”
“Not as your boss. This isn’t a boss thing. I know sometimes the lines are blurred, Rico. Supercross, Apex, racing, but this is a family. Don’t you get that yet?”
Rico shrugged. “I’m starting to.”
“Good. Now go get a shower, you must be fucking freezing.” He shoved Rico away from the bike and toward the door. “Time for playing with your new toy later, when you’re dressed.”
Rico couldn’t wait to see the look on Dillon’s face.
Despite Davey’s words of caution, all he could think about was Dillon.
He followed the directions and rode up to the gated front of a very nice home.
From the road, it looked bigger than The Ranch.
He pressed the buzzer, wondering if he had the right house.
“Hello? Can I help you?” A woman’s voice came through the speaker. Maybe he did have the wrong place.
“Uh, yes. Is this Dillon McAllister’s residence? I may be in the wrong place.”
“No, you’re in the right place. How can I help you?”
That pissed him off. Was this the chick from the New Year’s party? She sounded older, though. “I’m Rico. Here to see Dillon.” He wanted to throw it in her face.
“Oh, right! He mentioned you might be by. Come on up.” The gate buzzed and opened. Rico revved the bike and drove through it, hoping she could hear his engine all the way up in that big house. He had to swallow the jealousy, though. He didn’t know a damn thing about Dillon’s life.
The dirt road wound through brush and shrubs and a few small trees.
A couple of pines stood near the house, but otherwise, the vegetation was low and typical of the area.
Rocks and pebbles lined a tiled walkway on one side of the door.
The other side had a ramp and a curved path that ended in front of the garage.
Rico parked where it ended, knowing that’s where Dillon would exit.
The house was a sandy, pinkish stucco with a dark green metal roof. He would have thought he’d see the Spanish tile roof that most buildings like that had, but the green was nice and gave it a more modern look.
He killed the bike and walked up the pathway that led to a small porch.
The entrance had a large double door made of heavy wood with long windows on both sides.
Square windows lined across the top of the wall gave it an old pueblo building feel but still kept it modern looking. He knocked and waited.
An older woman opened the door with a smile. “Hello, there. You must be Rico. I’m Anna. I work for Dillon.”
“He didn’t mention...” He didn’t know what to say. Was she a nurse? A cook? Housekeeper? She wore jeans, white sneakers, and a blue sweater. Her hair was short and bobbed around her head. None of it gave him a clue.
“Come in. Come in.” She ushered him into a large foyer.
He followed her down a short hallway that opened up into a large center room.
Huge, dark timbers stacked up like a half-wall separate the foyer area from the rest of the room but still left plenty of room for a wheelchair to navigate around.
On the far side of the great room, he saw a large dining area with a huge table and chairs.
It was the perfect height for Dillon to roll right up to, but the chairs around it would allow guests to also be comfortable there.
“This is nice.”
“Mmm...yes. I’ll go get Dillon.”
Rico raised an eyebrow. “And what do you do for Dillon exactly?”
“I’m sorry, I should have said. I’m sort of a caregiver slash housekeeper. Sometimes I cook too.” She shrugged. “He doesn’t need a lot, but sometimes it’s good to be around.”
“Are you a nurse?” He wasn’t jealous anymore. Anna was attractive enough but didn’t seem like Dillon’s type. Not that he was sure what Dillon’s type was other than, hopefully, Rico. But she also worked for him, and Rico was curious about that.
“No, I have my CNA, so I can do basic caregiving. That’s all he needs.”
“What’s a CNA?”
“Certified Nursing Assistant.” She answered him with patience and understanding and a small smile. Rico liked her.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Being cool, I guess.”
Her smile widened, making her hazel eyes sparkle. “Haven’t been called cool in a long time.” She nodded toward a hallway. “Be right back.”