“Is that a joke?” Rage returns to Isaac’s voice. He sounds protective and I feel stupid for flirting with this man who is obviously deeply entangled with another woman.
“You know the guy?” Ethan asks calmly, giving me a brief, curious look, but obviously more interested in Isaac’s story than stopping him due to my presence. They don’t have to worry about me telling anybody because there’s nobody I would even discuss this with. When I get back to my life in Boston, I’ll just… forget this ever happened and try not to get killed by a member of an organized crime group.
Getting over my break-up just took a major backseat to just surviving.
Isaac’s hands ball up into fists, but just as quickly, they unravel and the tension dissipates for both of them. I don’t feel like I belong here at all, but I also can’t leave. Just witness. And that feels more dangerous.
“She never stopped seeing him,” Isaac says somberly. For a man as violent as Isaac, I didn’t expect to see this tenderness. I fold my arms over my chest, wishing they would at least offer me a seat if I’m going to have to stand here and listen to a conversation that I barely understand. I don’t want to hear the entire history of Isaac’s past relationships. I’m surprised that a woman would cheat on him. It’s not just because of his looks, although Isaac is attractive in a rough, masculine way.
I would be too scared to cheat on a man who could kill aman right in front of me. It’s basic human survival instincts, you know? Isaac also seems loyal, and genuinely hurt by the news that his wife never shared his loyalty. I still feel stupid for the chemistry between us. He’s clearly still not over her. I’m probably notovermy ex-boyfriend either. He cheated and I don’t want to be with him anymore, but the wound still feels fresh. Wide open, really.
Ethan’s story distracts me from the growing emotional woundedness. “Hunter and Ryder have a strange theory that she ditched the kids so she could come after you, so we’re sending Ruger to check on your mom’s place. Nobody will expect Ruger and he’s using his ranger training to avoid detection from any bikers that Tylee might have in her corner.”
“Scum is a screwed up motherfucker,” Isaac warns Ethan.
“Great. So is Tylee, apparently. I don’t relish having another problem on my hands.”
“Understood.”
Ethan turns his gigantic body towards me, and I feel the instinct to run away that anyone would feel in the presence of a large predator. “Gabby,” he says. “My name is Ethan. Some people call me Bear. I have a wife Amanda, a daughter, and a short temper. This idiot you stumbled across might ruin your life. I’d be careful.”
“Thanks, asshole,” Isaac mutters.
Ethan keeps talking unperturbed, “You have three kids, a psychotic ex-wife on the loose, hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, and a drinking problem like every other Sinclair.”
“Gabby, don’t listen to him. Everything will be just fine and I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
Ethan groans. “Christ. That didn’t take long, did it?”
My cheeks grow hot. Ethan’s insinuation isn’t exactly hard to pick up on and it’s totally embarrassing since Isaac is a complete stranger, amurderousstranger, and I don’t want toput the idea of sex or romance in his head while I’m totally under his control.
“Tylee fucked half of Missouri while we were married. Do you have anything else to tell me?”
“Yes. Wyatt has pretty much been convinced your life is at risk, so he wants you staying here under my protection until further notice.”
“I’m forty-three years old, Ethan,” Isaac says. “I don’t need protection.”
“I understand that.”
“What about Gabby?”
Ethan shrugs. “She needs a babysitter just as much as you do.”
“I don’t,” I chime in. “I really don’t. I can go home.”
Ethan gives me a once-over like I’ve lost my mind and then goes back to talking to Isaac like I’m not in the room. The man has all the social skills of a grizzly bear.
“I’m sorry, you two don’t have a choice. We have a fully furnished basement apartment suite that Amanda was renting out on AirBnB until the camgirl incident. The place has been deep-cleaned. Nothing to worry about.”
I wasn’t worried until he said that. Now I’m starting to realize that this man intends to trap me in a former sex dungeon with Isaac – a married man with three children.
“I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“Don’t be a princess,” Ethan grunts. “There’s a California King down there. You could fit four or five people on that bed. Kind of the problem with us renting it…”
“What am I supposed to do tomorrow?” Isaac asks. “Because I’m not going to be your prisoner, and I don’t need protection.”
“Wyatt will be here tomorrow,” Ethan says. “Our sister’sthe one causing all this trouble. We’re taking responsibility for our problem.”