His Loyal Rebel - Debra Kayn Page 0,61

to do. There was no reason to be scared. They were in the parking lot of the restaurant. The sun was still out. All she had to do was scream and—

"Oh, shit," she mumbled, grabbing Tracy's hands.

Cusclan had killed Tracy's parents in front of her when she was a teenager. Heaviness pressed down on her chest.

Tracy wasn't afraid of the confrontation but frightened to death, reliving her past at seeing a Cusclan member. Feeling sick to her stomach at having caused Tracy to experience more heartbreak in her life, she blinked back tears of helplessness.

"I'm so sorry, Tracy." She rubbed warmth into the other woman's hands. "I would've protected you."

Mad at herself for not realizing what seeing Big would do to her sooner and not doing something, she kept touching Tracy.

"I don't know what to do," she whispered, looking around. "I'll go inside and call Whip. Do you want your brother? Rick?"

Tracy held on to her. "Don't leave me."

"I won't." Her back stiffened at the added responsibility, and she blew out her breath. "I promise. I'll stay with you until you want me to go."

After several minutes, she knew there was no way to go back into the restaurant to use the phone without Tracy falling apart, and she wouldn't want to take her inside and have people questioning her.

"Tracy?" She patted Tracy's hands. "I want you to scoot over. I'll drive you to the clubhouse, and you can be with Rick."

She couldn't trust Tracy to drive in her condition. Whether it was shock or fear resonating through Tracy, she could get in a wreck.

"Come on now." She let go and put her foot on the floorboard of the truck. "Scoot your butt over. I'll take you to Rick and Whip."

Tracy moved halfway, remaining in the middle of the bench seat. That would have to do.

After a few minutes of coaxing the keys from Tracy, Twyla climbed in and started the truck. Dread filled her. Whip was going to come undone when he finds out Big showed up at the restaurant.

Plus, he was protective of his sister—understandably. He'd blame her for Big approaching her at work. Rightly so, because she wished she'd never met Big and could erase that part of her life. If she hadn't met him, Tracy wouldn't be in the condition she was in now.

Five minutes later, she pulled in front of the clubhouse. Rick walked toward her, and upon recognizing Twyla behind the wheel, he jogged over.

He rounded the fender and opened the passenger door.

Tracy leaned toward him, climbing into his arms and wrapping herself around him, much like a child seeking protection from a parent. Rick's gaze turned to fire, and he threw flames at Twyla. Already feeling like the worst person on earth, her pulse beat in the cords on her neck, and she became lightheaded.

"What happened?" growled Rick.

"She was at the restaurant." She glanced at the boxes on the seat. "I was walking her to the truck after she bought pies to take home, and Big showed up. Nothing happened, I swear."

Rick turned his head and put his mouth on Tracy's cheek, carrying her away from the truck and taking her inside. Once she was alone, Twyla hung her head. This was her fault.

If she hadn't had a relationship with Big, he wouldn't have been around, and Tracy wouldn't have seen him.

Whip was going to blow up when he found out about his sister.

She left the keys in the truck and slid off the seat. There was nothing she could do. Just having her around had sent Tracy into reacting badly.

She walked to the sidewalk and headed back to the restaurant to get her car. It'd probably take her an hour to get there, but she could use the time to figure out how to make it up to Tracy. The last thing she ever wanted to do was upset her.

A mile away from the clubhouse, she was determined to give Big his gun back. If he was going to keep bothering her about it, she'd give it to him. It was no longer about hurting him by stealing something important to him when she left or having it on her to force him to stay away.

Two miles away from the clubhouse, she decided to swing by Big's house one morning when he was gone and leave it on his doorstep. She couldn't ask Whip to go with her because the two men would get in a fight.

Two and a half miles away