Claiming Menace (Ruthless Sinners MC 5)

A frustrated sigh slipped through my lips, drawing Menace’s attention back to me. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” I lied. “Just tired.”

“You could go back to the room. Take a nap or something.”

“Not that kind of tired.”

I didn’t bother trying to explain. I could see it in his eyes that he knew what I meant. I could also see that he wasn’t going to do anything about it, so I turned and walked out of the kitchen and onto the front porch, leaving him alone to finish his coffee. I stood there for a moment, taking in a few cleansing breaths as I looked over to the pond. It seemed to be calling out to me, so I went down the steps and walked through the fresh-cut grass towards the pier. I started thinking about Menace and how hard he was trying to help me out of this mess with Rossi. The man was just determined enough to help me get my life back. I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen when it was all over. There was a time when all I could think about was running again, but now it scared me to think that I might actually have to leave Nashville and never see Menace or Marlowe or the brothers ever again.

I was saddened by the thought. I didn’t want to start all over again, but more than that, I liked where I was. It was fun working with Marlowe and the girls. I liked the brothers, especially Menace. I liked him a lot—even more now that I’d gotten to know him better. He wasn’t only handsome and incredibly smart, he was funny and easy to talk to. I was standing at the end of the pier, staring out at the pond, considering all of my life choices when I heard Menace ask, “You looking for the Loch Ness Monster out there?”

“No such thing.”

“What?” He huffed. “You believe in Bigfoot and aliens but not the Loch Ness Monster?”

“Nope.”

“Hmph. All right then.” He stood next to me and leaned over the rail, studying the water as he asked, “What about dinosaurs? Do you believe they existed?”

“Of course, I do. Why wouldn’t I?”

“I don’t know. There are plenty of people out there who don’t.”

“Well, I’m not one of them.”

“Good to know.” He turned his attention back to the water. “You know, you never told me where you went after the Brants were killed. I know you said Mr. Brant had left you a car with money and clothes, but you never mentioned where you actually went.”

“There’s not much to tell.”

“I’d still like to hear it.”

“Honestly, I can’t remember much about those first few days or even the first few weeks. I was pretty out of it. I basically lived in the car Mr. Brant had given me. I rode from state to state and survived on peanut butter and crackers. Later, I got really crafty with my survival skills, and I’d sneak in and snatch a stale bagel from the continental breakfast at various hotels along the way. I’d use the showers at trucks stops or camping grounds and sleep in my car.”

“You never considered going to the cops?”

“It crossed my mind, but after what had happened with the Brants, I knew they couldn’t help me. I had no choice but to figure it out on my own.”

“Damn, that had to be tough.”

“It was. I was scared and lonely.” I had to fight back my tears as I repeated, “Very, very scared and lonely. Needless to say, it was not a good mix.”

“You should’ve taken Mr. Brant’s advice and come to see us sooner.”

“I know that now, but honestly, I needed the time to process everything that had happened. I’m still processing it.” I turned and watched the light dance along the water. “Sometimes it gets the best of me, and those are bad days, really bad days, but there are times when it doesn’t, and those are really good days. I’m hoping there will come a point when the good ones outweigh the bad.”

“There will.” He inched a little closer. “You’re a rare gem, Parker. You deserve all the good days the world has to offer, and I’ll do everything I can to see that you get them.”

“You’re gonna need to stop doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Being sweet.”

Without another word, I turned and walked away, leaving Menace on the pier. I went back inside, and as usual, Billy was nowhere in sight. The man practically lived in his basement. I was beyond curious as to what he was doing down there, but I heeded Menace’s warning and steered clear. The last thing I wanted was to upset the man who held my life in his hands.

I needed a temporary escape, so I wandered into the living room and started searching Billy’s bookshelves for something to read. There were tons of science journals and history books, but to my pleasant surprise, there was also quite a selection of romance novels. Most of them were older with Fabio on the cover, but there were a few that were more recent. I found it doubtful that they were Billy’s, but I had no idea who else they could’ve belonged to. He hadn’t told us anything about his family, just that there was a possibility his daughter might be coming home. It was just one more perplexity that was Billy. After I found a book that looked interesting, I grabbed it and took it back to the bedroom, then made a comfy spot on the bed and started reading.