30. Dallas
DALLAS
I watched Deac slip out of the bedroom, and when he saw me, he grinned.
“Didn’t know you liked to listen, Dallas.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “Is she working for someone?”
He nodded toward the alcove at the end of the hallway before he started walking, so I fell in line beside him.
“In here,” he said as he threw open Rat’s bedroom door.
I followed him inside before I closed it behind me.
“We good now?” I asked.
Deac turned to face me. “Does this man ever clean his room?”
“Deacon.”
He smirked. “So impatient when it comes to her.”
“Is she working for someone?” I asked pointedly.
He shook his head. “She said that she took the recording for her as proof.”
“And?”
He shrugged. “She told me that when we swept in and bought the bar from Miss Lilly, it felt like someone was taking her home away again. So, like she took down her father, she was trying to take us down. But, she openly admitted that she had no clue where to step next after she had that recording because she knew she couldn’t take it to the police. ”
I narrowed my eyes. “Do you believe her?”
He chuckled. “Do you really need to ask that question after what you just heard?”
I rolled my eyes as he continued.
“Whatever she’s doing, she’s doing it alone. Most likely, for Miss Lilly’s sake. She told me that her hope was to get the woman’s bar back to her. But, that’s it. Just a localized curiosity that she hopes she can turn into putting things back the way they were.”
“Because she feels like we took her home from her.”
“Uh-huh.”
I slid my hands down my face. “Well, thank fuck for that, I guess.”
Deac smirked as he whipped Rat’s bedroom door back open. “Sloppy seconds is up, if you’re into that kind of thing.”
I shot him a look, but to be honest, seeing her sounded amazing. So, while Deac slipped out and headed for the stairs, I stopped in front of her bedroom door.
Which just so happened to be my room.
With my breath held and my sounds muted, I creaked the door open.
I saw Char lying there, her blonde hair splayed against the black pillowcase as her body laid, contorted and spent, beneath the comforter.
A quick glance at her skin showed that it was still damp from sweat. Jesus, that couldn’t be comfortable.
I slipped inside and kicked off my boots.
Removed my jacket. I took everything off, except for my jeans, and I allowed her gravitational pull to yank me in.
Slipping into bed next to her felt like heaven.
Watching her turn toward me leapt my heart in my chest. But, when she sought out my warmth—when she inched her arm around my waist and snuck her head onto my chest—I was a goner.
I found myself running my fingers through her knotted hair as she nuzzled against my heartbeat.
“He’s not so bad once you get to know him. He’s just been through hell,” I whispered.
If she heard me, though, she didn’t respond. All she did was softly snore against my chest, and it made me smile. Actually smile.
For the first time since before Axel’s death.
I’m so fucked.
I didn’t even realize I had fallen asleep with her against me until I felt her jerk upright and away from my grasp. It jolted me awake, and I found her staring down at me with widened eyes.
“Morning,” I said as a yawn unhinged my jaw.
“When did you get here?” she asked as she scooted away a bit.
I shrugged. “Well, this technically is my bedroom.”
She paused. “Is it?”
I looked over at her with one eye open and I found her body clad in nothing but the black sheet of my bed. Dear God, what I wouldn’t give to have her staked on my dick again.
I licked my lips as my eyes caressed her, but she was quick to analyze.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” she said flatly.
I held my hands up in mock surrender as I closed my eye. “Disobeying a no isn’t my thing.”
“It’s apparently Deac’s thing.”
I furrowed my brow. “He’s actually letting you call him that?”
He never let anyone who didn’t matter call him that.
“Yeah?” she asked.
I shook my head. I wondered if Deac even knew how deep he was in with her.
“Well, if you ask me,” I said as I rolled over onto my side, “it sounded like you were enjoying yourself last night.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You were listening?”
I pushed myself upright and swung my legs off the side of the bed. “I was, just in case.”
“Just in case what?”
I stood to my feet and stretched my hands over my head. “You can take a shower, if you want. It’s behind the door just over your left shoulder.”
I walked over to my dresser and saw her reflection as she peered over her shoulder.
“That does sound nice,” she said mindlessly.
I took a fresh shirt out of my top drawer and tossed it over my head. “Help yourself to whatever. My room is your room. But, I’m gonna go put on some coffee and make some breakfast. You hungry?”
She parted those luscious lips of hers, but her stomach answered me by growling out.
“Well,” she said flatly, “there it is.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “One coffee and a breakfast plate, coming up.”
I watched in the mirror as Char moved toward the bathroom, and I took the liberty of slipping out as quickly as possible. If I watched her for too long, I’d follow her. And if I followed her, I’d get nothing done with my day.
There was too much to do for me to take a lazy day with her.
“Jesus Christ,” I harrumphed as I stepped out into the hallway. “Announce yourself first, yeah?”
Gauge stood there like I had been last night. “Plug figured out where the camera is sending information to.”
I reached behind me and quickly closed the bedroom door. “I take it?—”
I didn’t even get the phrase out before Deac’s voice bellowed down the hall. “Son of a fucking motherfuck! God fucking damn it!”
And the crashing sound of glass told me everything I needed to know.
“Yep,” Gauge said as he pushed off the wall, “you should get downstairs before he breaks all our plates.”
Guess I’m making breakfast for everyone this morning.