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Gio looked at me and then back to his boss, giving him a quick rundown of what he’d found inside the house. “It’s completely fucked up,” he said in disbelief.
Diesel’s grip tightened on my hip as his anger grew. His big body was tightly coiled with tension that felt ready to snap his fingers in half, and all that fury landed on Ryan. “Who are you and what the fuck are you doing here?”
“Ryan’s my friend,” I said.
“I was driving by.” Ryan explained, sounding flustered.
“On a workday, at noon? Fuck that, try again. The truth this time.” Diesel’s hand fell away, and he stepped forward, putting his body between me and Ryan. “How is it that you just happened to be here right now?”
Fear flashed in Ryan’s brown eyes, but he banked it quickly. “Like I said, I was just driving by to see if Ellie was home, and I saw her car so I stopped. What the hell is wrong with checking in on a friend? I think you need to calm down.” “Ryan stops by often,” I added, even though he usually stopped in the morning on his way to work, not in the middle of the afternoon. I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to defend him, though remembering our conversation a week ago when he’d asked me on a date, I hoped he didn’t take this as a sign that I was interested.
“Yeah? Well, did you see anything, Ryan?”
“Nothing but Ellie’s car and then the biker pulled up looking angry.” He turned to Gio and then Diesel. “Who are you guys and why is Leo calling you Daddy?”
“None of your fucking business,” Diesel and Gio answered at the same time.
I took a step forward, a tight smile on my face. “You should go, Ryan. Thank you for stopping by.”
His brows furrowed together into a frown. “Ellie, are you sure? These guys don’t seem like the type you should be hanging out with.”
“That is my choice to make.”
His nostrils flared and his gaze heated with anger. “Ellie, think of Leo.”
Now he was making me angry. “All I do is think about Leo. How dare you question me about my son.”
“Look, I’m sorry, okay? But these guys are obviously trouble, and nothing like this ever happened to you before.”
I’d be lying if I said the same thought hadn’t crossed my mind. But still, my life was my own and so were all of my decisions.
Ryan raked a hand through his perfect hair and sighed. “I’m just looking out for you.”
“I know and I appreciate it, really.”
He nodded, still sounding put out. “But you want me to go?”
“I think it would be best.”
He might not be happy about it, but Ryan was smart and knew his presence would only infuriate Diesel and Gio. “Yeah, fine. I’ll call you tonight to make sure you’re all right.”
“She’s fine,” Diesel growled.
I bit back a smile at his possessiveness. “That’s fine, Ryan. Talk soon?” I flashed him the same friendly smile I always did, and it seemed to work.
“Yeah, all right. Be careful,” he said as he walked away, but not before stopping at my car. “See you later, Leo!”
“Bye-bye, Mr. Ryan!”
Ryan smiled at my son, flashed a glare at the bikers, and strolled over to his black work truck. He took his time getting inside, his gaze focused on Diesel as he drove away.
“Something about that guy is off,” Gio said, a scowl still stuck to his face.
“I agree,” Diesel grunted. “How do you know him?”
“He’s just a friend, like I told you before. I’ve known him for years, he was a customer when I waited tables at the diner.”
“A customer who knows where you live?”
