Page 70 of Riding Bare

My brother has never done anything like this before that I know of. He’s… playful. I pinch myself, unsure if I’m really seeing what I’m seeing. He gently places her down on her feet, and then I watch, in awe, as he lifts his hand to cup her cheek.

He lowers his head, and his lips touch hers in a gentle, albeit sweet kiss. Blinking, I know I should look away because this seems very intimate, but I can’t. I’ve never seen any of my brothers be gentle, tender, and caring toward someone else before.

Not that they’re raging lunatics and assholes or anything, but I’ve never seen them bring someone they genuinely care about around. I don’t know if they’ve kept them away for a reason. I just assumed they did the clubwhore thing and nothing else.

When they’re finished with their greeting, the woman twists to the side, and her eyes find mine around my brother’s arm. She waves me over. I guess it’s time for me to get out of the truck and meet this woman.

Opening the car door, I jump down and try to smooth out my outfit, then cringe because I have nothing else to wear. This trip did not give me time to pack a single thing. I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow, but I guess that’s a problem for later.

As I walk toward them, my brother slides his arm around this woman’s waist and gently pulls her close against his side. I know I must be watching them with a mixture of confusion and surprise etched on my face.

Once I reach them, Heleni takes a step away from my brother, then another toward me, and wraps her arms around me. “Welcome to safety and peace, honey,” she whispers against my ear. “I’m Heleni.”

“Chassis,” I murmur, taking a step backward.

She does the same, taking one single step back, but we don’t get much space between us. She curls her fingers around my biceps as she holds on to me, her gaze finding mine and focusing. It’s in this moment that I know why Gauge is with her.

Looking into this woman’s eyes instantly puts someone at ease. There is a calming spirit about her that I’ve never felt before. She is unbothered and unworried about anything and everything.

Her gaze searches mine in silence, then she smiles and shifts her focus over to Gauge. “I love this. You are connected in a past life. You’re meant to be together.”

I open my mouth to remind her that Gauge is my brother, but I don’t get the chance. She releases my arms, taking one of my hands before reaching out to take Gauge’s. She sucks in a deep breath, holds it, then lets it out slowly, her eyes never leaving mine.

“You were sisters in another life, intertwined for eternity as soulmates, but sibling soulmates.”

Imagining Gauge as my sister makes me want to burst out laughing, but I don’t, because at the core, that’s actually really sweet. And I can’t deny that we have a special connection, although each of my brothers and I have a different yet special connection to one another. So who am I to know if she’s full of shit or not? Maybe they are meant to be my siblings, not just in this life, but in every life.

“Now come inside. I made you something to eat. We’ll get to know one another while Gauge handles whatever he needs to handle.”

My lips curve up into a smile. I like that. She’s giving him his space to handle his business, and she isn’t fazed in any way whatsoever that she’s not part of that. Also, I would love to get to know her, and I won’t be able to get a proper read on her with Gauge hovering. He’s obviously got feelings for this woman, and I want to know who has stolen my brother’s heart.

I’m also starving.

CHAPTER

FIFTY-FIVE

DARE

“I still can’t believe you got married,” Officer Lee mutters as he pulls away from the gas station. “Thought for sure you’d be living like a bachelor for life.”

“You and me both,” I grunt. “And now here I am with a wife and a baby on the way,” I announce.

Lee clears his throat, shifting in his chair uncomfortably. I don’t blame him. This shit is uncomfortable. I don’t tell him the whole story. It’s none of his business, and aside from that, we’re here.

He pulls into the parking garage and drives slowly until he reaches the spot where her car was left. It’s still there. “Keep going,” I urge, sinking down in the seat. He does, driving around so we can park a few rows over and still have eyes on the car.

“You guys in some trouble with the club?” he asks once the car is parked and we’re facing Chassis’s ride.

I wonder how much detail I need to give this guy. Sure, he’s my contact, and I would consider him a friend of sorts, more than an acquaintance but less than a brother in the club.

So I guess… a friend.

“The club’s not necessarily in immediate danger, but I think he could cause some problems for us. I was going to be proactive…”

“But now your wife is missing.”

Yeah. My fucking wife is missing. I sink down in the seat as a man and a woman walk into the garage. I recognize him immediately. I’ve studied his picture—it’s Samuil.