T-Bone - L. Wilder Page 0,40

when I was struggling just to get through the day, he was my one true constant. Things with him were good—even better than I could’ve ever imagined.

9

T-Bone

I remembered my old man saying that the devil doesn’t come to us with a red face and horns, boasting an eternity of hellfire and brimstone; instead, he was cunningly disguised as everything you’ve ever wanted. I never knew just how right he was until Alyssa came into my life. I tried to keep a grip, tried to remember that we were just doing this “friend thing” and keeping it simple, but the more time I spent with her, the more I wanted her to be mine. It was inevitable. Being around a woman like her, so good, so wholesome and beautiful, was the ultimate temptation, but at the same time, I had my brothers to consider, especially Hyde. I meant it when I told him and the other brothers that I had no intention of pursuing Alyssa, or at least I thought I did. Maybe I’d known it all along. Regardless, things had changed over the course of the past couple of months, and it was time for me to come clean. I just hadn’t found the right time to do it.

It seemed like all my time was spent either at the garage or Alyssa’s place or watching Lucas Brant. Since the night she’d finally opened up to me about what had happened to her, I’d been keeping an eye on him, monitoring his every fucking move. At his home. At his work. When he went out with friends. Wherever I deemed it necessary. I was determined to find some indication that he was the monster I knew he was. A man like him, a man who preyed on innocent women and forced himself on them, didn’t just suddenly change. I didn’t give a flying-fuck that he was married and had a kid on the way. That darkness he tried to hide was still there. I knew it without a doubt, and as soon as I saw a single glimpse of it, I would end him—once and for all. It was one of the many things I’d do to keep Alyssa safe. I knew it was a mistake to let myself get wrapped up in her, but I had, nonetheless.

I was playing with fire and had no doubt there’d be consequences for my actions. I just didn’t know that those consequences would come sooner than later.

After I got done at the garage, I met up with Alyssa at her place. Like most nights, we ate some dinner, and after watching some chick-flick on TV, we headed to her room. As soon as I got in the bed, she curled up next to me and said, “I had lunch with Landry today.”

“Yeah? What’s she been up to?”

“Work mainly.” She looked up at me and smiled. “She brought up all of us going somewhere again.”

“Y’all come up with any ideas?”

“We were thinking about getting a cabin up in the mountains or maybe hot springs.” She shrugged. “I don’t think it really matters to her where we go. I think she’s needing a break from work.”

“With a job like hers, I can’t really blame her for wanting to get away. Maybe we can come up with something.”

“Where would you want to go?”

“I don’t know. Wherever is fine with me.”

“Oh, come on. It doesn’t have to be with everybody.” Alyssa positioned her head on my chest where she could see me. “Just a place you’d like to visit one day. You know ... like a bucket list sort of thing.”

“I’d like to see the Grand Canyon one day and maybe go out to Yellowstone. What about you?”

“I’d love to see both. I haven’t had many chances to travel.” A soft smile crossed her face as she said, “My dad worked a lot, but we went camping some ... fished and swam. And there was this one year when we actually made it to the beach. It was one of my favorite summers.”

“Can’t say I’ve ever been to the beach.”

“Maybe we could go together sometime.”

“Maybe so.”

She rested her head back on my shoulder, and after a few more minutes of talking, she drifted off to sleep. I was relishing the feeling of her body against mine when my burner started to ring. Knowing it was one of the brothers, I forced myself up and grabbed the phone from the pocket of my jeans. “Yeah, whatcha need?”

“We got trouble,