Not knowing who did it makes this even more frustrating. Still, I need to keep my cool as best as I can.
Mine looks worse than his, and I'm handling it far better. Then again, Bunny is making it easier not to raise hell. Then again, I am already planning a murder in my head.
Makes me wonder if the stalker has an issue with Steelwood or just us. We have made ourselves cozy here over the last year. Made our own rules and practically stole from other players by cheating. There's plenty of crimes happening beneath the surface, but not everyone likes us hanging around as much as we do.
"You're off tomorrow, right?" Sliding my touch higher, I don't miss the way she chews on her lip before nodding. "I won't be able to get you home for a minute. I can drop you off once our ride pops up, or..."
She wouldn't want to go to the warehouse, would she? It's safe there, and only someone with a death wish would try to make their way inside. I need to talk to Hex about the cameras. If it is someone on the security team, they'll have touched the footage. Our hacker might be able to get the raw stuff. I'd like to have Bunny with me when I figure out which one of these assholes fucked with us.
Letting out a sigh, she squirms and hugs my cut closer to her body. "If they're brave enough to do this to you, I'd hate to think what they'd be willing to do to me. What if they do know where I live?" She shivers and leans into me when I give her another reassuring squeeze. "I don't want to be alone, Smoke."
Earlier, she mentioned wanting to end this. Maybe because nothing was happening, she thought this was a waste of time. Now it looks like I've been given a chance to prove otherwise to her.
five
Bunny
The entire time I'm pressed up against Smoke, trapped between his body and a booster seat in a small SUV, I'm flooded with these terrible feelings about the sudden turn of events.
This is why you shouldn't have waited to talk about ending things.
Sighing softly under my breath, I try to distract myself with the two in front. Ace has taken over driving while another member of their club, Devil, fiddles with the radio to find something to fill this awkward silence with.
"Just because Penny gave you the keys doesn't mean you get to fuck with her stations." Ace slaps his hand away, and it's almost comical how the two easily bicker while he returns it to a station playing soft pop hits.
"You know how long it took to hook up a trailer to this thing?" They go back and forth as we make our way to our first destination. From the tires hanging next to the Iron Cross Auto sign, I can see that this must be Steelwood's garage where they keep up with their repairs.
"I'm going to stay here with Bunny. Think you can deal with Havoc? Not in the mood to hear his comments or deal with his prospects." Next to me, Smoke sighs heavily. He pinches his brow through the darkness, but from the shop's lights, I can still see the irritation rolling off of him.
He hardly spoke during the drive, his silence driven by a distant, lost-in-thought look. Although our knees have occasionally brushed, he hasn't noticed or paid much attention to me.
Now, it sounds like we're about to get plenty of alone time from the way Ace turns to glance between us.
"I'm going to collect a favor, then." Putting out his stipulation, he barely gets a nod from Smoke before he's urging Devil to follow him.
Silence floods the SUV soon after, only interrupted by the sound of muffled conversation and the movement of unloading the two motorcycles from the trailer.
Plucking at a loose thread at the knee of my jeans, I'm biting my bottom lip before letting out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry about your bike. I can pay for the repairs, after all, it's—"
His hand swallows up mine before he squeezes my fingers. Easily brushing them to the side, he's squeezing my knee next. "Don't think about blaming yourself. If anyone's to blame, it's me."
Unable to understand how he could possibly try to take responsibility, I'm momentarily distracted by the feel of his pinky and ring fingers brushing my inner leg. He's barely touching me, but it's enough to divert my attention.
There's no one in here but us, so why...
"I should've been doing a better job at searching for who has been watching us. Instead, once I looked your way, my eyes couldn't stop following." His words grow softer, a confession I wasn't expecting from him. "I'll do a better job, Bunny. So please, don't give up on me yet. Don't let this asshole scare you, either."
There's a shift to his voice, and he doesn't just sound like a grumpy guy anymore. It's impossible to miss the layer of panic beneath his words. Not because he's scared of the guy who'd damaged his bike, but because...
Because of losing me? No, that can't be right. I'm reaching again, trying to trick myself. That's all this is.
My heart keeps doing the same thing it always does when this man is involved. It flutters and aches, reminding me what's at risk here.
"We've convinced him that we're together." My body moves on its own, my legs shutting to trap his hand in place. "You don't have to act in front of people anymore. No more kisses or..."
Whatever almost happened in that alleyway.
"Just light touching from now on, okay?" Light touching is safe. Hugging his arm shouldn't make heat flood my stomach, or make my thoughts hazy enough that I'd be willing to do something reckless. Saying goodnight can be simple. Maybe a kiss on his cheek, or a hug that won't linger.