Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
ridge
I’ll never admit it, but I’ve been glued to my watch and pacing in front of the windows waiting for Auggie to get home. The bar should’ve closed at least forty-five minutes ago. What the hell is taking him so long?
Part of me wants to call Shay and make sure everything is okay, but after the whole accidental kiss thing, I feel like that might be pushing it.
I’m not sure why I did it. It just felt so natural that I was already leaning in before my brain blared the warning signals.
All I could do was play it off like it was no big deal.
Lights flash out front, and I rush over to one of the armchairs next to the fireplace, grabbing my laptop so I don’t look like a complete jackass. Heavy boots stomp against the front porch, and the knob turns just before the door swings open.
Auggie takes one look at me and laughs. “You’re just as bad as the other assholes, aren’t you?”
My brow furrows. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Closing the door behind him, he walks into the room, throwing his leather jacket over the arm of the sofa. Rain is dripping onto the floor beneath him, and when he runs his hand through his short hair, it flies everywhere.
“You drove your bike home from the bar?”
“No. Shay dropped me off. She had her Jeep for once.”
I let that thought tumble around in my brain a bit. “How’d it go?”
He falls onto the sofa with a shrug. “She didn’t impale me with any sharp objects, so I’m calling it a win.”
Unsurprisingly, Lyon and Memphis walk in with beers, handing one to me and another to August before they find seats.
August looks between all of us, his grin spreading wider. “Y’all are pathetic.”
“Nope. Curious is the word you’re looking for, cousin.” Memphis tips his bottle back and relaxes into the corner of the sectional.
“Intrigued,” Lyon murmurs, throwing his bare foot up onto his knee as he stares at August.
Memphis points at our brother with his beer bottle. “That’s a good one too.”
In the bond, they’re a riot of nerves with even a little jealousy trickling in. Through our pack connection, my impressions of August are usually faint. Right now, however, the asshole’s smug satisfaction is coming through unbelievably loud and clear.
Auggie shakes his head. “Seriously. Y’all have known her longer than I have. I’ve only been here a little over nine months. Why are you so scared of her? She’s just a woman. Albeit, one with lady balls of steel.”
Memphis leans forward. “You weren’t here when she showed up six years ago with murder in her eyes and a tongue so sharp you’d feel the lashin’ for days.
It’s eased a bit, and I’d say even more so since she became friends with Ridge.
Hell, I bumped into her earlier today, and she actually apologized.
But my instincts still urge caution whenever she’s around. ”
August twirls his bottle in his hands, staring at the label. “People kept calling her Runaway Shay. She flinched practically each and every time, but she didn’t say a thing. What’s the story there?”
Lyon’s face grows thunderous, his knuckles white on his bottle before he tips it back and chugs the whole thing.
Running a hand through my hair, I think about what I overheard at the diner today.
“According to the rumor mill that’s gone into a frenzy after the council review, she was close to being bonded when she hightailed it out of her bonding ceremony.
Alpha was an asshole from a prominent family, but he’s now serving time on a shit-ton of fraud and embezzlement charges—mostly because of Shay’s cooperation.
It was all over the news, and any time the dick’s case gets brought up, the news recirculates.
Runaway Shay is a recurring headline, and she’s been trending over a dozen times.
A simple search will pull up video from the assholes who were recording some of what went down with their phones.
It was brutal, but she got her revenge.”
“Fuck,” Auggie mutters, taking a healthy swallow of his beer. “No wonder she doesn’t trust Alphas.”
My cell rings, and when I pull it out of my pocket, Shay’s number is staring up at me. I tap the button and barely get it to my ear before I hear her panicked voice.
“Ridge!”
The wind whipping across the line makes it sounds like she’s in the middle of a hurricane. I jump out of my seat, and the room falls silent.
“Shay? What’s wrong?”
“I have a motherfucking lake in the middle of my living room, that’s what’s wrong. It’s pouring through the ceiling! I’m pretty sure there’s another hole over my bed, but so far it’s not as bad. I’m on the roof trying to fix the tarp, but I can’t do it by myself.”
A chorus of growls echoes through the space.
“You’re on the fucking roof in the middle of a storm? What the hell are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that I don’t want the damage to get any worse, or I’ll have to have sand brought in and order lawn chairs so I can sell tickets to Darling’s first indoor beach in order to pay for the repairs,” she snarls. “Are you gonna help, or should I have called Kash?”
Auggie snorts. Memphis’ chest rumbles with a disapproving sound. Lyon just stares at me in a way that tells me he’s coming with me and won’t take no for an answer. Worry is alive in the bond from all of them, which amps up my own anxiety.
“I’m on my way. I’ll bring Lyon because we’re gonna need an extra set of hands.”
“Fine, but…” Her weary sigh breaks my heart. “Hurry, okay?”
“Be there in less than twenty, sweetheart.” I hang up, nodding toward Lyon. “Let’s go. Run out to the barn and grab any extra tarps you can find. I’ll grab the nail gun.”
“Should we come with you?” Memphis asks, sitting on the edge of his seat.
I shake my head. “Not sure that’s a good idea.
She’s had a shit day that just got exponentially worse.
But if what she says is true, and there’s another hole, I’m not letting her stay there tonight.
Another storm front is on the way, and this one’s supposed to bring flooding.
I’m not trusting her in that shit hole.”
“We’ve got the spare room,” he suggests, shooting a look at Auggie. “We could straighten up and throw new bedding on just in case. Make ourselves scarce until it’s safe for her to leave in the morning.”
I raise a brow when I meet the other Alpha’s gaze.
“You know I’m Team Shay. Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Fine. I’ll call when I have a better idea of what’s going on.”
We’ve loaded up the truck and are pulling down her drive no more than seventeen minutes later. When my headlights flood the front of the house, I can just make out Shay. In nothing more than a soaking wet tank and jeans, she’s still struggling with the tarp.
Fucking woman will be the death of me.
“She needs a spanking,” Lyon mutters.
A shocked laugh rushes out. “I dare you to tell her that.”
He just grunts in response, opening the truck door and grabbing our supplies.
Within thirty minutes, we’ve managed to cover the small hole and secure the tarp over the biggest one well enough that it will stop the deluge for the time being.
I shoot off a quick text to Memphis, asking him to reach out to his roofing contacts to get some quotes on the repairs needed.
Something tells me it’s gonna be a full replacement with a price tag that isn’t small.
When we finally step foot inside her front door, I take in the full extent of the damage.
The tiny living room really has become a lake—her now sopping wet but sparse furniture is resting in an inch of standing water.
Water drips from the soaked ceiling, reminding me that the bigger issue is going to be mold growth once the storm blows through and the sun comes back out, driving up the humidity.
“Sweetheart, this isn’t good.”
She inhales deeply, holds it, then slowly exhales.
Her arms have wrapped around her middle, making her look more fragile than I’ve ever seen her.
“I know. This was Danny and Lily’s house.
I thought they’d sold it when they moved us to Florida, but apparently they kept it and had a local guy take care of the property for them.
They left it to me, but I didn’t realize just how much repair work it needed. I’ve got money saved up, though…”
I can practically hear the thoughts banging around in her head. The money she was going to use to purchase the Slick.
“It’ll be fine. I’ll figure something out.” She turns her sad, tired eyes on me. “Thank you for coming. It means a lot.”
Brushing a dripping wet piece of hair off her forehead, my heart aches for her. “Of course.”
Her eyes shift to Lyon, a wobbly smile tilting her lips. “Thank you for offering to help. We wouldn’t have been able to do this alone.”
He simply nods, but I see the barely there flush on his cheeks.
Lightning flashes across the sky outside, and silence engulfs us. I’m trying to find the right words, but I don’t think there are any. Her living room is destroyed. Her bed and mattress drenched. She’s got nowhere to sleep and nowhere else to go.
Sharing a look with Lyon, he gives me an almost imperceptible nod.
“Sweetheart, you can’t stay here tonight.”
“Where the hell am I supposed to go?” The bite is still there, but it’s lacking any true aggression. If anything, there’s a hint of despair edging into her voice that guts me, right along with her scent going bitter.
“You’re coming home with us. We’ve got a spare room. It’s just for the night…or until we can get your roof fixed enough that your house doesn’t become a tourist attraction.”
“Ridge,” she says softly. “I can’t stay in a house full of dudes. I’ll just call Jules. I’m sure she’ll—”
All at once, our phones blare with a weather alert, announcing a flash flood warning effective immediately.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Jules and the guys live on the opposite side of the river. If things are as bad as it sounds, we may not be able to cross it if the water levels have risen too high.”
“I could call Iris.”
“It’s three in the morning. She and Harper are sound asleep.”
“But–”
Gripping the back of her neck, I force her to meet my eyes.
Her body is trembling, and while I may not be an Alpha, my instincts are still demanding that I take care of this woman, no matter what.
“No buts, sweetheart. You’re coming home with us.
Memphis is already setting up the guest room, and I’m pretty sure Auggie has glasses of whiskey waiting for us. What do you say?”
She looks up at me with a fight in her eyes, then over at Lyon.
For a split-second, I think she’s about to argue.
There’s not even a hint of sweetness mellowing her scent.
It’s all harsh notes and sharp edges. Instead, the relieved breath she releases gives me an idea just how defeated she’s really feeling right now. “Okay.”
That single word makes my stomach flip. That spark of fight hasn’t completely died out, but she’s simply too overwhelmed to argue.
“Then pack up the essentials, and we’ll head out.”
She nods, slowly stepping back and leaving my hand to fall from the warmth of her skin as she heads for the bedroom.
Running my hand through my hair, I stare at the hallway where she just disappeared. “This is either a gift from God or a cruel trick from the devil.”
“Can’t fuck this up,” Lyon whispers beside me.
He’s right. This might be our one chance to show the woman we’re head over heels for that we can be more than just a pack of burly bachelors. We just have to give her the smallest taste of what it could be like if she opened herself up to the idea of us.
Let’s pray that the fates are in our favor and we don’t blow it.