“Responsibility?Thisis coming from someone who lives like he’s in a criminal frat house and rides around on a damn motorcycle?” Bret snorted.
“And owns a business and doesn’t ask Mom or Dad for a fuckin’ dime. I’ve been on my own, supporting myself since I was eighteen. You’re thiry and still looking for handouts.”
“Asshole,” Bret said with a hiss. “Don’t worry about what I said. I’ll just do a no-show at the wedding. I don’t give a fuck!”
The thought of Autumn standing at the altar in a packed church waiting for Bret to show up pierced his mind… and his heart. He couldn’t let his moronic brother humiliate her that way.Fuck!
“I’ll tell her, but you better stay away from me, because if I see you, I’m beating the shit outta you.” Chains hung up and threw the phone on the bed. “What a sonofabitch!”
Thor pushed up from the floor and sat on his haunches, then looked up and whined.
“It’s okay, buddy,” he said calmly, even though anger still seethed inside him. He walked over to the closet and plucked out a Milk-Bone. Thor’s ears lifted and his tongue hung out as he looked eagerly at Chains’s hand. “Here you go.” Chains tossed the treat into the dog’s waiting jaws. He then picked up the phone and looked at the time: 5:45 p.m. He crossed back over to the computer and did a search for Autumn’s home address. If he was going to do this, he thought it wouldn’t be a good idea to do it at the clinic.
“You fuckin’ asshole,” he muttered as he called the clinic to see whether Autumn was still at work.
“Highlands Animal Care Center. May I help you?” a woman said.
“Is Dr. Stanford in?” he asked.
“Who’s calling, please?”
He scrubbed the side of his face. “I was just wondering if the doctor is in.”
“Is that you, Chains?” A high-pitched giggle. “This is Sheila. How are you?”
He rolled his eyes. “Good. Is the doc still there?”
“No, she just left about ten minutes ago. Is Thor not feeling well? I can get Dr. Jenkins on the phone.”
“Thor’s fine, but I had a question. I’ll call back tomorrow.”
“Are you free tonight? I made a huge pot of chili last night that’ll take me forever to get through. The kids think it’s too hot.” Another giggle.
“Thanks, but I’ve got something going on at the clubhouse. One of the members is calling me now.”
“Oh…” Disappointment weaved through her voice. “Maybe tomorrow night?”
Chains tilted his head from side-to-side, cracking his neck. “That won’t work either. Actually, Sheila, I’m not into dating right now.”
“Dating”—she laughed a bit too loud and long—“who said anything aboutthat? I thought we could be friends.”
“I’m not friends with chicks.” That was the truth. The whole notion of a man and woman hanging together without having sex was foreign to him.
“Why not? That’s ridiculous.” Sheila huffed.
“That’s just the way it is. I gotta go. I’ll see you around.” Chains slipped the phone into his jeans pocket, then picked up the keys on the dresser. “I shouldn’t be doing this shit at all,” he said as he walked out of the room. But there was no way he could let Bret hurt Autumn any worse than he already was. Chains wasn’t sure if Bret was just bluffing, but he didn’t want to take the chance with her feelings, so he petted Thor, high-fived the members in the club, and strode out into the chilly fall air.
Brushstrokes of pomegranate pink and sherbet orange painted the fading blue sky. In the distance, the mountain peaks turned a shimmering gold in the light of the setting sun. Chains straddled his motorcycle, then slowly rode toward the old highway.
By the time he’d arrived in town, the colors streaking the sky earlier had disappeared into the dark ashes of nightfall. Chains took his time getting to Morning Glory Circle, half hoping Autumn wouldn’t be at her house.
He took a right and cruised down the street as he looked for her address. The cul-de-sac was quiet except for an occasional car pulling into a garage. The homes and yards were well-kept, and several oak and maple trees dotted the neighborhood. Lights glowed in the windows, and in a nearby house, he could see a man seated in a chair near the fire, reading what looked to be a magazine.
Chains stopped in front of a two-story white stucco home with a red barrel-tiled roof and dark shutters on its windows. There was a large porch across the front, and he craned his neck to read the address: 14225. He killed the engine and hopped off the bike, then walked up the sidewalk. Yellow light from inside glowed against the lawn. He pushed the doorbell and leaned against the wall as he waited for Autumn to answer. She didn’t come. He tried again. For a few minutes he stood on the porch and stared at the stars visible through the almost bare branches of the weeping willow tree on Autumn’s front lawn.
A chilly breeze picked up, and the rustling of the leaves on the branches sounded like whispers in the night. Chains zipped up his leather jacket, and as he started to walk down the porch steps, a pair of headlights flashed across the front lawn. A car turned into the driveway, and the sound of the garage door opening had him sprinting toward it.
He walked inside just before the door began to close and watched Autumn slide out of the car carrying two bags of groceries. She hadn’t noticed Chains standing in the shadowed corner, and he stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and slowly approached her.