“That’s really cool. Well, ah… I had an appointment nearby and I was just on my way home so—”
Dizziness sends me stuttering and warmth to my cheeks. My legs threaten to give way beneath me.
“Are you okay?” Ace reaches out to steady me.
I put a hand to my forehead to hold my head as if it will somehow clear the vertigo. “Yeah. I’m okay. I just need to get home.”
“Come on. I’ll walk you home.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
His hand falls on my lower back where it rests as we begin walking. “It’s all good, sugar. I got time. Lead the way.”
I don’t protest. The last thing I need is to pass out in the middle of the street with no one to help me. And despite Ace’s aura of danger, he can actually be a decent human being when the time calls for it.
I ease on the brakes, pulling up at yet another red light. The day couldn’t move any slower and it’s still morning. Mason sits beside me in the passenger seat of my truck, brooding in silence because we just spent three days on a lead that led to a dead end. A lead we had high hopes would give us some new information on Lucio Marino’s whereabouts. We had no such luck. The only good thing to come from today is the phone call Mason just received from Elias, who within a month or so, believes he should be back at work. The dude spent a few weeks in hospital after having emergency surgery to retrieve the bullet lodged in his back where Lucio had shot him. He’d been put off duty until he makes a full recovery and his determined ass is smashing through physiotherapy.
“Hey, can we go past the loft? Lindsey wanted me to check on Ali. She said she’s been a bit sick the past week. I told her I’d go later, but seeing as we’re only a block away,” Mase chimes in.
My chest jabs at the mention of Ali. “Yeah. Sure,” I murmur because what else can I say? No, we can’t check on her and I don’t want to see her because if I do, I don’t know if I’ll yell at her or kiss her? Both of which—I don’t want to happen.
We turn the corner, coming into Ali’s street and as we pull up out the front of the exposed brick building she lives in my heart smacks against my chest. My hands tighten around the steering wheel as I watch her head tilt back. She laughs, her shoulders bouncing. She smiles like I haven’t seen since the night we spent together. Except today she’s not smiling at me, she’s beaming up at another guy. A fucking biker—a Misery’s Angels club member.
“Breathe, Roamyn.” Mason sits unmoving as we both take in Ali and the biker talking and laughing like they’re best fuckin’ friends.
I grit my teeth so hard my molars hurt. “Oh, I’m breathing. But he won’t be in about thirty seconds.”
I reach for my belt undoing it. Mason’s hand lands on my forearm. “Don’t do it, Roam.”
My chest puffs out with each heavy breath. “Why not?”
Mason rolls his eyes at me and pulls his hand away. “Well, first off, you can’t kill a guy for talking to someone. And secondly, all it will do is piss Ali off and push her further away from you, which I’m thinking is not what you want to achieve here? And thirdly…” his voice raises a notch, “…you can’t fucking kill a guy for talking to someone. Biker or not.”
I run a hand through my hair. He’s got no clue what went on with us. No clue why it hurts so much to see her so relaxed with a man who isn’t me. She’s out there, happy and laughing while I’ve been fucking miserable.
Anger replaces the hurt. “You go check on her. I’ll wait in the car.”
Mase pushes open the door and her voice travels through before he shuts it again. Two minutes later he’s back in the car and Ali and I pretend we didn’t just see each other.
Mase sighs. “You wanna talk about it?”
I concentrate on the road. “Nope.”
Saturday
Yellow fur squishes under my fingers. Hot puppy breath blows on my face.
“Isn’t he just the cutest puppy ever?” Charlotte’s excited voice livens up the gorgeous modern living room of Lindsey’s new home with Mason and Char in Greenwich Village. It’s Mason’s little girl’s tenth birthday and he and