I growled and pulled my fist back. I walked to the fridge and grabbed a fresh beer.
Then I sat at the table, lifting the beer bottle with my right hand, fresh blood running down my hand and dripping to the floor.
I didn’t give a shit.
Then I remembered the gun I had brought.
Maybe I could just finish the job myself…
8.
(Winter)
I opened the bedroom door slowly. I saw a hole in the wall and saw blood on the table. I walked to the table and saw Tripp’s gun sitting there. When I turned, I saw him on the couch. His hands behind his head, his right foot on the floor, his left leg stretched out. The couch was too small for his muscular body, but there was only one bed in the place.
And like hell I was going to share my bed with Tripp. He was here to protect me and nothing more.
Even though I tried to throw myself at him last night.
Could anyone honestly blame me though? I’d been trapped in a world of darkness and mental torture for almost my entire life. The day I found out Rocky had been killed, I thought for a second I had a sliver of hope at surviving. But then the MC was right there. They all claimed they were going to take care of me, but I knew eventually one of them would choose me as their own.
I thought about waking up Tripp and apologizing for last night, but I decided against it. The front door was locked, the windows all shut. I was as good as protected for the moment.
After making coffee, I tossed up some scrambled eggs. I had exactly five eggs left to eat. I guess if Sarah wasn’t going to show up with a bag of groceries again, I’d have to take care of myself. I doubted that Sarah would be in a good mood with me after Tripp jacked up Harlan. But Harlan had that coming though. He shouldn’t have snuck into my place.
It really bothered me more I thought about it.
Him sitting there in the dark with a gun.
What if I was alone?
What was his real intention of being in my place?
I glanced back at the couch and smirked. Tripp might have saved me big time last night. Off to a good start, I guess.
I cleaned up the dining room table and put the eggs and coffee on it. In the back of my mind, I wondered what the hell was really going on. The MC had power and strength. Yet Stoney called in a favor to have me protected? The pieces to the puzzle were not adding up.
Tripp sat up and looked right at me. His eyes were a little weary but still so damn sexy. He looked around my place and then stood up. He grabbed his gun and tucked it away.
Then he stretched.
His shirt pulled up a little, revealing enough stomach muscle to make any decent woman’s panties writhe with moisture. That included my own. I looked down at the coffee and eggs on the table.
“Breakfast,” I said.
“I smell it,” Tripp said. “Thank you.”
“Yeah. Sure.”
He walked to the table and sat down.
The silence was very weird. We exchanged a few glances and the soundtrack to our breakfast was a fork hitting the plate, a fork scraping off teeth, and the slurp of hot coffee.
Finally, I put everything down. “I’m sorry about last night.”
“What about?”
“Tripp, we were drunk but not that drunk. I shouldn’t have pushed at you like I did, okay? I’m sorry. I’m scared. I don’t understand what’s happening or why.”
“I call bullshit on that, darling.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, you heard me. You’re tangled up with a MC and you have the guts to tell me you don’t understand what’s happening? I’m sure if you thought about it real hard, you could find some skeletons hanging around your closet. If you want me to protect you the right way, then start talking. If not, then I’ll just be here until I’m not.”
“And what does that mean?”
Tripp finished his coffee. He stood from the table. “It’s simple. You have to have some idea why Rocky was killed. And if the MC thinks you’re next, there’s a connection. You’re important enough to protect but not important enough to save. That means you have something they want.”
“Who is they?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Isn’t that a great feeling,” I muttered.
Tripp walked his plate and mug to the counter. He then turned and looked at me. “For the record, I’d like to believe you’re important enough to protect and save. So prove it to me.”
Tripp then went into the bathroom and shut the door.
He didn’t lock it.
I heard the water turn on.
I frowned and thought about everything that could have been coming back to bite me in the ass. There was a lot. My life didn’t have a skeleton or two in a closet. It had a house.
I waited at the bathroom door.
Tripp opened it and jumped back a step.
“Start at the beginning,” I whispered. “Let’s go visit the MC.”
~
I waved and the gates to the compound were opened. I glanced casually at Tripp, wondering if he’d be intimidated by the sight of all the motorcycles and the rough and tough bikers as they wandered around.
His face was like stone.
His eyes the same.
It was like nothing bothered the guy.
Well, except whatever made him punch the wall last night.