T-Bone - L. Wilder Page 0,22
didn’t like the fact that he was snooping around our shit. If their expressions were any indication, I’d say my brothers felt the same way. “You boys been down to a rodeo or something?”
“No, sir. No rodeo this time.” Blaze motioned over to the horses as he told him, “We just bought these beauties for the ranch.”
“That right?” Clearly suspicious, the cop stepped over to Blaze and asked, “You got a bill of sale for ’em?”
“Yes, sir. We sure do,” Riggs nodded as he started towards the front of the truck. “I’ll grab them for you.”
Riggs had just opened the door when the cop said, “That’s all right, son. Don’t worry about it.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, It’s fine.” He glanced down at Shadow as he asked, “You need a hand with that?”
“I’m good, thanks.”
“Well, all right then. I’ll let you boys get to it. I’m gonna stay until you get the flat taken care of.” The officer gave us a quick wave, then walked over to his patrol car and sat there with his flashers on. Knowing he couldn’t hear me, I looked over to Riggs and asked, “You actually got a bill of sale for the horses?”
“Fuck no. I was just calling his bluff.” Riggs shook his head. “That guy was a real fucking asshole.”
“Don’t disagree with you there.” I shook my head. “But then, most cops are.”
As soon as the flat was replaced, the cop pulled off, and then we got back on the road. We were all relieved when we finally pulled through the gates of the clubhouse.
Everyone was busy unloading when Alyssa pulled up to the gate. She spoke to the prospect on guard, then sped over to us. The second she got out of the car, I knew something was wrong. She was still wearing her work clothes, and even in the dark, I could tell that her eyes were puffy from crying. My chest tightened as I listened to her voice tremble when she called out to Hyde. “Clay!”
“Alyssa?” He rushed over her as he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I saw him,” she cried. “He’s here.”
6
Alyssa
“What the fuck are you talking about, Lyssa?”
I couldn’t say the words. I was too upset, crying too hard. I hated that Lucas could still get to me after all these years, but there was little I could do to stop it. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to pull myself together. My hands were shaking as I struggled to breathe.
“Are you sure it was him?”
“Yes, it was ... h-him,” I stammered, biting back my tears. “I’m sure of it.”
The vein in his neck started to pulse and his face grew red as he growled, “Tell me what happened!”
I wasn’t surprised by his reaction. Since we were kids, Clay had always had a short fuse, especially when it came to me. He did his best to look after me and my mother, and since my father died, he’d become even more protective. I didn’t want to rattle him any more than I already had, so I inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. Once I’d gathered myself a little, I explained, “I was leaving work ... about to get in my car, and that’s when I saw him.”
“Where was he?”
“In the parking lot.” I thought back to the moment I’d recognized Lucas’s smug face and how he was laughing while he talked to the man and woman walking next to him. He seemed like he didn’t have a care in the world, whereas I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under my feet. “He was going into the Peabody with some other people.”
“And you’re sure it was him?”
“Yes. There’s no doubt in my mind.” I wiped the tears from my face. “That guy’s face has been burned into my memory. There’s no way I would ever mistake him for someone else.”
“Goddamn it.” I could almost feel the anger radiating off him as he paced back and forth. “I thought you were done with this motherfucker.”
In hopes of calming him down, I stepped over to Clay and said, “Maybe tonight was just a one-time thing. Maybe he was just visiting friends or something, and he’ll be leaving soon.”
“Goddamn it!” He raised his fist and slammed it into my car, denting the hood. “I should’ve killed him when I had the fucking chance!”
“Clay … Stop!” I threw my hands up in the air. “This isn’t helping anything.”
“What do you want from me here?”
“Not this!” I motioned my