Sinfully Scarred (Reckless Bastards MC 2)

“Shit.” He pulled my keys out, opened the passenger door so I could climb in, then he jogged around and jumped behind the wheel, burning rubber through the blacktop parking lot. He kept his foot on the gas until we turned onto my block to a sea of red and blue lights.

And my front yard and porch completely engulfed in flames.

Chapter 11

Tate

Teddy was shaken, she had to be given what we’d stood there watching for going on forty minutes, but to look at her, you’d never know. A close inspection would reveal tension around her eyes that were now blank, and her curiously straight mouth. Her shoulders were stiff as she stared at the flames licking up from the yard posing a mild threat to the rest of her small home.

She hadn’t cried but she’d let out a mighty impressive string of expletives. “Fucking cocksucking motherfucker! When I find this piece of shit I’m nailing his balls to the table and setting the whole fucking thing on fire!”

I bit back a laugh, knowing she might test her torture out on me if I didn’t. “Come on Teddy, we don’t need to be here.” I tried to pull her away, but she shrugged off my touch, turning to me with hell in her eyes.

“My house is burning down, Tate. I’m not going any goddamn where!”

I understood that but standing there and watching her use every ounce of energy and control to keep her emotions in check. And it made me feel damn helpless. I vowed never to feel helpless again so that made me fucking angry because I wanted to do something to help her. I needed to or the anger I worked so hard to keep to a simmer just might boil over and fuck up everything. “I know, Teddy. I’m sorry this happened.”

“My house,” she whimpered and I put my hands on her because I had to. One on her lower back and the other on her shoulder, to soothe her as much as me.

“It’s fine, see?” I pointed to where three firefighters still gathered, dousing the last of the flames. No more orange and yellow in sight. Thank fuck. “Me and the guys can take care of that porch in a weekend. Maybe two.”

She turned a shaky smile up at me, big blue eyes slick with unshed tears. “Thank you, Tate.”

“None necessary, Cover Girl.” I wanted to say more, but two plain-clothes officers headed our way. The same fucking detectives from before. Were there no other cops in this whole fucking town?

“Ms. Quinton, we have a few questions,” the older detective, Haynes, said and then launched into a dozen questions I was pretty sure they already had the answers to. “Any more ideas on who’d want to hurt you?”

She shook her head, hands trembling. “I honestly have no idea and I wish I did, because this shit just got scary. Well, scarier,” she added in an attempt at levity. Teddy ran a shaky hand through her long red hair to steady herself. The woman continued to impress me with her control.

“And you,” the younger detective added with a sneer meant to let me know exactly what he thought about me.

“What about me?” I stood taller, using my height advantage to let him know I wasn’t scared.

“Where were you when this happened?”

Teddy opened her mouth but I spoke over her. “Since I don’t know when it happened and neither do you, I couldn’t tell you. But I can tell you that I’ve been with Teddy since early this morning and had fuck all to do with this.”

This fucker reminded me of the cops who put me in prison. They had their minds made up and nothing I said would change their fucking opinions.

“You sure about that?” He whipped out his small black notepad as if that shit was supposed to intimidate me.

“I don’t need to be sure. You do.” I stared at the rookie, so eager to look competent he didn’t realize what an incompetent prick he seemed to both me and his partner.

“I’m watching you,” he threatened.

I smiled. “You wouldn’t be the first. Men hit on me all the time, but given the situation we find ourselves in, it’s a tad inappropriate don’t you think?”

That pissed him off good if that strange shade of pink his face had was any indication.

He screwed his face into what he probably thought was a tough guy sneer. “You little—”

But then his partner butted in. “Dodds, go talk to the woman who called it in. Take a detailed statement,” he ordered, turning his back to the little fucker before he could voice a complaint. Haynes turned to me, his eyes shrewd but not suspicious. “You looking out for her?”

“Yeah, that’s why she’s with me until you figure out who’s doing this.”

“Any ideas?” He seemed to genuinely want to know but Teddy was drawing a blank.

“She used to be a pretty famous model, so it could be anyone, but—”