Page 5 of Break Away (Riot MC Next Generation #2)

Chapter four

Free as a Bird

Rafferty

I steered my truck down San Jose Boulevard fighting a smile.

Alexandra knew if I told Blood what happened to her all hell would break loose.

Not that Cal wouldn’t let all hell break loose, but as Vice President of the Jacksonville chapter for so many years, Blood was far more methodical in doling out vengeance.

It wasn’t ideal to threaten her with telling Blood, because I wasn’t sure I’d follow through on it, but it did the trick.

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Brantley.

He may not have hurt Lex directly, but to pull the shit he did, he needed a lesson.

As I turned onto the street with Uncle Cal and Aunt Mallory’s house, I wondered if teaching Brantley a lesson was the best use of my time.

For the first time in what felt like years, neither Lex nor I had anyone in our lives. She was in the midst of getting her degree in dentistry, but I’d known for quite a while… I didn’t want anyone else but her.

Everyone thought I kept her at a distance because of the bullshit falling out we had in high school. I never said anything to correct that, but I kept her at arm’s length so she could determine if what she said was actually what she wanted.

She’d been so damned adamant talking to my sister, thinking I wasn’t around to overhear her. ‘No MC life for her. No way would she become her mom and marry a biker.’

I’d known from the time I could put a full sentence together that I’d be just like Dad. Nothing but the MC life for me. And until I’d heard Alexandra’s adamant declaration, I’d been pretty certain she’d be the person at my side.

Alexandra’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. “What time will you be here in the morning? Monday morning rush hour sucks, but if we take San Jose south through Fruit Cove we’d be going against the flow of traffic.”

Part of me wanted to spend the night at her parents’ house, but that was overkill. The clubhouse was a fifteen minute drive, so there wasn’t any need to stick close.

“Whatever time you want me to be here, I’ll be here,” I said, parking my truck in front of the privacy fence surrounding what I knew was a kick-ass pool, patio, and backyard.

The way she smiled at me right then…I wished I had a picture of it.

Despite the swelling and bruising on her face, her eyes were lit with an expression like she thought I could move mountains for her.

There was a tinge of something else there - it looked almost like regret.

“God. I’m gonna owe you so much, Tee. Thanks again for coming to get me. I’d have been waiting forever—”

I put my finger to her lips again, this time wishing it were my lips instead. “You’re more than welcome, Lex. Let’s get you those painkillers.”

“Where are you goin’?” Uncle Cal grumbled when I stepped toward the foyer.

He’d just given Lex one helluva bear hug, and now Aunt Mallory was swaying back and forth while hugging her.

With my eyes on Cal’s, I tipped my head toward the front door. “Gonna give you all some privacy.”

“Get your ass over here,” he ordered, reaching out for a handshake.

I took his hand, but he yanked me forward and clapped me on the back hard enough I fought off a wheeze.

At my ear, he murmured, “Thanks for bringing her back safe. Don’t know why you’re runnin’ off, but stick around if you can.”

He let me go and I nodded.

Aunt Mallory had let go of Alexandra and she rushed to me. “Oh, Raff, I’m so glad you were able to get to her fast.”

This felt really weird, how effusive she was with me. I’d never seen her like this… then I realized she knew more than any of us that the whole day could have been far more tragic.

I shook my head and gave her a light hug. “It was no problem, Aunt Mallory. Really.”

She smiled up at me. “Well, you’re staying for dinner right? That won’t be for a few hours yet, but you can run the pool table on my husband. He needs a challenge.”

Alexandra sidled up between her parents. “I’m sure Rafferty has somewhere else to be. There’s probably a woman wondering where he’s been.”

I stared into her hazel eyes. “I don’t.”

Those eyes closed for a beat. “You don’t?”

A small grin played at my lips. “Nope. Free as a bird, right now.”

Cal glanced at Aunt Mallory. “I’m gonna get the marinade ready for the steaks.”

She glanced at Alexandra. “I’m going to get some towels for your bathroom. I ran out of time earlier. A hot bath might be good for your headache, sweetie.”

Alexandra watched her mom leave the room, then her eyes locked with mine. “Well, even though you’re free as a bird, you aren’t obligated to spend time with me.”

I hated hearing her say that. I’d never feel obligated to spend time with her.

“Lex,” I said.

“What?”

“You aren’t an obligation. I’m here for you.”

She rubbed her temple, caught herself, and dropped her hand to her side. “I’m fine. Hardly a scratch, because I was wearing my seat belt. Remember?”

“Yeah. Go get some rest.”

Her eyes skated toward the staircase, then back to me. “You aren’t going to tell Dad, right?”

“Right,” I muttered. At least, not if I could help it.

She nodded and whispered, “Thanks.”

“How’s she really doing?” Cal asked and handed me a bottle of Yuengling.

I swallowed a sip. “Her head is killing her, probably more than she’s letting on. It took her a long time to go to sleep in the truck, and even then that lasted maybe half an hour.”

Cal tipped his head back, took a long pull on his beer, and swallowed. “Why do I get the feeling there’s something else going on?”

“Her roommate is in ICU. She wanted to stick around for her, but there was a nurse who wouldn’t let her visit. That seems to be bothering her, but on top of that she wants to get back to Gainesville tomorrow.”

“That isn’t happening,” Aunt Mallory said, walking into the kitchen from behind me.

I took a deep breath. “I told her I would take her. She’s got finals this week.”

"Damn, you're right. She can't miss those," Aunt Mallory said.

The sound of Cal’s beer hitting the counter got my attention. “Aren’t you going back to Memphis tonight?”

“Zeus isn’t sure he’s interested in a prospect who hasn’t ever lived in Memphis.” I twisted my hand up. “That might be him busting my chops. He’s the chapter president, so nobody’s going to tell me if he is. Either way, I’m not in a rush to drive back if he doesn’t want me there.”

Aunt Mallory set a wine glass on the counter and pulled a bottle of white wine from the under the counter wine fridge. “You’re probably going to say you’re staying at the clubhouse, but you’re welcome to the guest room so you can save yourself the gas and the hassle of crossing the Buckman.”

I liked that idea, but I forced myself not to show it so Cal wouldn’t pick up on my eagerness to stick close to Lex. “Thanks. I’ll take you up on that.”

After she finished pouring a glass, she let out a dejected sigh. “Oh. The guest bed doesn’t have any sheets on it. I can run up and—”

I shook my head. “No need. I can make a bed, Aunt Mallory. Are the sheets in the linen closet?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll go up there.”

Cal pinned me with his gaze. “How about you finish your beer at least. Give Lex enough time to get out of the bathroom and then fall asleep.”

“You got it.”

Five minutes later, Cal insisted I follow him out to the pool. He grabbed a pole with a skimmer net on the end and dipped it in the water. “Mallory interrupted us. Now, what aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing definite. From what she said, she blames herself for the accident.”

Cal stopped mid-skim and stared at me. “She wasn’t driving.”

“Yeah. There were some issues, and Lex… she thinks none of this would have happened if she’d… played the situation differently.”

Cal pulled the skimmer out of the pool and flung the collected debris toward the backyard. “What situation?”

I crossed my arms on my chest. “There was some confusion since her ex-boyfriend was there unexpectedly.” I swallowed, hating that I was lying to Cal by omission. “By the time that shit got sorted, they were running late.”

“What did you tell her?”

“I told her she couldn’t think that way. What’s done is done and she isn’t to blame.”

Cal nodded and put the pole away. “Good. Is there anything else?”

I shook my head. “No.”

Cal jerked his head toward the house. “Go make the bed for yourself. You look beat. I’ll start grilling in a couple hours.”

I’d taken off both of my boots and turned down the covers when I heard a faint cry from Alexandra’s room, next to mine. After the day she’d had, I hurried to her room and checked on her.

The door was open just a crack. I eased it open further and stepped inside.

Her room was dark, but late afternoon sunlight provided enough light for me to see she was still asleep. Then she thrashed to her side facing me.

“No,” she cried softly.

I edged closer and put a hand on her shoulder. “Alexandra. Wake up.”

She jolted and her eyes opened wide. Her chest moved with her heavy breathing.

I squatted beside the bed. “You’re all right. You must have been having a bad dream.”

“Yeah,” she breathed.

Something in her eyes wasn’t right. Like whatever had her spooked was still right there with her. “You want me to lay down next to you?”

She sat up a little, grabbed her water bottle, and took a sip. “It was just a nightmare, Rafferty. You don’t have to—”

I rose and propped a hip on the edge of the bed. “Nightmares are how our brains deal with pain, Lex. I asked you to lean on me for once. That means you aren’t dealing with this shit on your own.”

She glanced up at me. Her eyes were assessing me. “Why are you being so… sweet to me?”

I shook my head twice as my body shook with silent laughter. “I’m not being sweet, Lex.”

“Could fool me,” she muttered, putting the bottle back on the nightstand.

I blew out a harsh breath. “Any man biding his time to get in your pants is far from sweet.”

Her head reared back. “You lie.”

“About what? Every bit of that is true.”