“Good. Make yourself at home and if you need anything, you call me. I mean it.”
“You’re a good friend.”
“You’d do it for me.” His fingers pinch my chin, lifting my face up. The way he is looking at me right now I am afraid he is going to kiss me. “Whatever is going on, you’ll get through it.” I offer him a weak smile. His words are nice, but I don’t believe I will ever be okay again. He leans down and I close my eyes, mentally begging for him not to kiss me right now. His fury lips touch my forehead. “I gotta get to the garage.”
“Thanks, Z.”
“Don’t mention it.” He closes my driver’s side door and I start my car up and drive off.
I get to his house after taking two wrong turns. My recollection of his address wasn’t as good as I had hoped but I made it. Zo Zo’s house is on the other side of town from where Ry—Cupid lives. At least I won’t have to worry about running into him and his wife. Unless I decide to go back to my job at the clubhouse. I don’t want to, but I don’t have a lot of savings. Too bad I never took the club up on their offer to get me my own apartment. I walk into the red brick home and find it is pleasantly clean. The kitchen is a bit bare and the only thing in the refrigerator is old orange juice and some ham.
I go into the living room. There’s a big screen mounted on the wall and two mismatched chairs facing it. The place could definitely use a woman’s touch, but it looks better than the ugly shit Mandy did to Cupid’s house. I shake my head and take a breath. I don’t want to think about them. I finish my tour of the small home. There’s two bedrooms and a weight room. I claim the room with the empty closet. I left my stuff in the car. I don’t plan on staying here long. Maybe a few days until I get a plan in motion.
Cupid doesn’t want me—us. I rub my hand over my flat stomach. “It’s just you and me kid.”
I need a shower before I do anything. Then I need food, so I can think.
Chapter Seventeen
—Cupid
After MaryAnn left I sent a text to Mandy even though I didn’t want to telling her I did as she asked. I know by the time I get off work for the day she will be back at the house. I don’t want to go home but I know I need to do this shit right. The faster I can find out who is masterminding this deal, the quicker I can explain to MaryAnn and have her back in my arms where she belongs.
Hades said he’d let me know when MaryAnn showed but it’s past lunch and I’ve yet to hear from him. By the end of my shift, I am worried. What if she took off and left Webb Hollow all together. I should have fucking told her the truth. Hades’ orders be damned.
Fuck, I miss her already. I scroll through my phone and stare at her pictures. She is so beautiful. I stop on my favorite photo, it’s one of her sleeping. I took it the first night she moved in with me. I move to the next image saved in my gallery but it’s a video and not a picture. Terror captured it and sent it to me in a text message and I downloaded it to my phone. I’ve never watched this. It’s the day I claimed her.
I press play and the camera is shaky at first as he finds his focus. Music is playing loudly from the jukebox and I am approaching MaryAnn at the bar. She’s opening a bottle of beer and sliding it across the top to Zo Zo. I can’t see his face from the angle the camera is pointing but know it’s the back of his fat head. My woman smiles at him and then she gasps when I grab her from behind. I can’t hear my words, but I remember them clearly. I told her, “You no longer serve the members of this club, sweetheart. You’re mine and only mine. I’m claiming you.”
She tried like hell to pull away and said, “Don’t play with me, Ryan.”
I told her to get her stuff that she was going home with me, but she shook her head and said she didn’t believe me. Then she told me to go fuck myself. Hades whistled, and all the brothers started laughing. I couldn’t have my old lady disrespecting me, so I bent her over the damn bar in front of everyone, directly across from Zo Zo and started spanking her ass, telling her exactly who was going to get fucked. I threatened to pull her pants down and take her right there. I was ready to. She had me so damn fired up.
I didn’t notice it at the time but Zo Zo slams his beer down on the counter and stomps off looking angry. I go back and watch the clip a few times. Maybe he was pissed that I claimed the one woman who banged him willingly. I don’t put much thought into it. He’s congratulated me and said he was happy for us. The video plays on and stops when I throw her over my shoulder and carry her out the front door. Terror is chuckling loudly when it cuts off.
I wish I could go back to being that happy. My phone rings and I groan when I see Mandy’s name on the screen. Reluctantly, I take the call.
“Lo,” I answer.
“Hey, Ry. I’m home. I’m going to cook something special for you. Be home by seven.”
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“I’ll be there.” Silence passes between us. “Anything else?”
“Nope. Just can’t wait to see you. When I told daddy our big news he actually hugged me. I thought he’d be mad.”
“That’s great. Look, I gotta get back to work.”
“Okay. I love you.”
“You too,” is all I can muster out.
————
I loaded up the work truck and parked it behind Reaper’s building hoping I would see MaryAnn’s car but she’s not here. I go in to the office to return the keys hoping Harley is here and knows something of my woman.
“Hey you. In a hurry to get home to your woman?” She beams at me as I hand her the keys. I nod and don’t ask her about MaryAnn she must not know anything yet. “Quinn has you down for that cement job tomorrow at Burnside.”