respect.”
“I think so. Hell, Corey seems to think so.” Ethan tossed the butt away and shrugged. “She’s been open with everything she’s got. And she’s honoring the shit deal Martin made with Dylan, even though she wants nothing to do with drugs.”
“You know, you sound more involved with her instead of that club.” Ethan opened his mouth to protest, but Rocky held up his hands in surrender. “I’m not judging. You know, sometimes we find something special, and no matter how awkward or wrong the situation is, we just can’t walk away. I got your back, Ethan. Just don’t let it get the best of you.” Rocky winked, smiled broadly, and tossed his butt away before turning and waving over his shoulder as he jogged over to his bike.
Well, that was enlightening. It was great to know he had support in his view of things, but Rocky had walked up and gauged his reaction to Brett completely accurately in less than five minutes. If he was that transparent, he didn’t know how he could keep it from Corey. But he’d find out soon enough. He had to get in there and find out what the hell Corey needed that would pull him away from the Suns before he’d really gotten started.
He expected to have to head back to the office, but Corey stood at the bar, looking anxious, with Zeke and Harrison looking just as unsettled. Had something happened to one of the brothers? Why wouldn’t Corey have told him that over the phone? “What’s going on? Is everyone okay?”
Corey ran a hand through his hair and nodded. “Yeah, for now. Listen, Rory’s in the hospital.”
Ethan tensed. Eli’s wife was five months pregnant. “The baby?”
Corey nodded again. “The doc says the baby’s fine, at the moment, but there’s some sort of complication, and they’re keeping her a couple of days to be safe. But even when she goes home, she’s going to need someone with her full time, and Eve can’t be there all hours. So, Eli’s taking a leave of absence, and we’re going to need help covering for him.”
He breathed a sigh of relief that everyone was okay. “Okay, so what do you need me to do?”
“We’ve got most of it covered, I think, but it’s short notice, so I need you here for a day or so. Then you can go back to the Suns,” Corey told him. “I need you to stay here tonight. Some of the guys are having a party, and I need Zeke with me, meeting with Dylan before he heads out to visit this new crew he’s linking up with. And I need you to open up the shop tomorrow. Devon’s going to take over around midday, but he’s working strip club security tonight and needs to sleep.”
“I’d do it, but Skye has a huge bachelor party coming into her place, and I’m afraid it’ll get rowdy over there,” Harrison piped up. Smirking, he said, “I’ll trade you, though.”
But Ethan shook his head vigorously. “That’s alright. Skye wouldn’t be too thrilled to have you here, with the girls that come in. And the idea of bashing heads doesn’t thrill me. I’ll take my chances with our own crowd.” Plus, it meant he could stay put. He’d take a bunk room for the night, roll out of bed and to the shop in the morning, and shower and be on his way back to Brett and the Suns as soon as Devon showed up.
And maybe, one of the girls who came around would distract him from his thoughts about Brett.
“Good. I appreciate you being flexible. I promise, after this, we’ll have things settled down so you can focus. It’s important,” Corey told him.
With a nod, Ethan replied, “Whatever Eli needs, man. He’s a family man now. The wife and kids are important.” He frowned. “What about the twins?” Rory and Eli had twin daughters, about a year old. Eve, their nanny, had married Rocky not too long ago.
“They’re with us, for now,” Rocky said, coming up to them. “We’re keeping them through the weekend, and when Rory comes home, we’ll figure out what the next step is.”
Ethan smacked him on the back. “Are you practicing for the future?”
Rocky, as usual, wasn’t flustered. “Maybe. I’m not in a hurry, and neither is Eve, but we want a family. It never hurts to practice, you know?” He pointed a finger into Ethan’s chest. “Maybe you should start thinking about it. Someday, maybe sooner than later,