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Toad’s already there relaxing with a cigarette burning between his lips curled in a smirk.
“What?”
“Silver Fox? Rog went nuts. I thought he was gonna have a heart attack or beat the shit out of one of us on the trip. He got razzed the whole way back. Especially when Federico called Smith, telling him how he walked-in on you telling Luce how hot Rog is.”
I place the tray down in the center of the table and take a bite out of an apple. “Federico’s going to pay. He has a bigger mouth than I thought.”
“Yeah, well I’m sure Rog is sparring with him at the gym. He’ll probably give him a few good blows.”
I raise an eyebrow and take another bite, chewing before I drop my bomb. “He asked me out after we necked like fifteen-year-olds this morning.”
Beer spews from his mouth onto the grass, he snuffs out his butt, eyes wide. “No shit? Meat’s never dated. Like ever.”
“I like him. More than I should,” I whisper.
“What’s up with the long face, doll? He likes you too. We’re all waiting for the big romance to unfold.”
“I thought Creed was a Motorcycle Club of badass biker guys. Seems you all are a bunch of girls after all.”
He grins, “Shhh, don’t tell. I secretly love drama.”
“Speaking of drama. Am I safe from that creep now?”
“We didn’t catch him. But he won’t find the sanctuary he was looking for up north. We have a man on the inside at the border. He definitely crossed into Canada. If he comes back south, we’ll be notified with plenty of time to set a trap.”
“Huh. O-kay. I don’t feel safe knowing he’s still out there.”
Toad’s eyes go flat, deadly. I shiver. It’s a reminder he’s not just a man who’s carefree and full of gossip. He’s a killer if the situation warrants one.
“That ain’t gonna happen sweetheart. I don’t want you to even think about it.” He comes around the table and takes me into a quick hug. The sound of tires rolling over the gravel makes me look up. My eyes meet Rog’s through the windshield of his truck. His lips press into a firm line as he cuts the engine and climbs out.
I push Toad away feeling like my lover caught me in an innocent embrace he won’t believe.
He stalks past us without a word, with eyes that don’t look my way again. “Was that just as awkward for you?”
“Nah, Rog knows I’d never stab him in the back like that.”
“Well, why do I feel like I did something wrong?” I ask picking the crust of my sandwich and throwing the crumbs to the birds waiting in the grass.
“Because you got it bad.”
I don’t reply. My mind is confused by all the emotions my heart has grown for these men. Rog, Federico, Toad… they’ve all become family and I know they’d all take a bullet to protect me if it came down to it. I feel as if my very DNA is a betrayal of that loyalty. I swallow hard.
“Toad?”
“Yeah?”
“Promise me you’ll understand.”
“Understand what?”
“If the time ever comes when you might mistake what my intentions were.”
He nods, thinking I’m talking about Rog.
“I better get back inside before Rog has my ass.”
“I think he’s gonna have that real soon anyway.”
“Men,” I grumble with a red face leaving him staring at my backside as I walk back in the bar.