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I ignored her sarcasm and instead focused on her ass. Not a bad trade-off at all.
12
Tatum
“We’ve Gotta Get Out Of This Place” by The Angels
Rain beat down on the roof of Nitro’s ute as he drove us to a destination unknown to me. This weather was depressing as hell. I’d never been a fan of rain that lasted longer than a day. Looking out the window, I saw puddles of mud everywhere, which only further depressed me. Mud meant dirt and water that found its way into your shoes and onto your clothes if you accidentally stepped too hard in it or if a car sloshed it at you. Mud was messy. I hated messy.
“Where are we going?” I demanded, turning to face him.
Those brown eyes of his met mine, and a shiver struck me at what I saw there. “Thanks for what you said to Dustin back there.” The words pretty much choked themselves out of him. I doubted Nitro was a man known for giving thanks.
I nodded as his emotions washed over me. This was a whole other side to Nitro. “How old is Dustin?”
“Thirty-four.”
“That’s younger than you?”
He glanced at me again but didn’t reply straight away. I wasn’t sure if he would, but then he did. “Yeah, two years.”
“I’ve worked with a lot of guys like Dustin, guys who get themselves into trouble because people confuse their intentions in all sorts of situations. Just because they don’t process shit as fast as the rest of us doesn’t make them any less of a person.” I’d overheard his conversation with Dustin about women misunderstanding his behaviour and had heard Nitro’s worry for his brother. His concern showed a new side to him that I’d been surprised to learn of.
“You took on their cases?”
“Yes.”
“How did they afford you?”
I angled my body so I leant against the window, facing his direction. “Some had family that paid, but a lot I too
k on for free or cheap. Billy brought a lot of them to me for help.”
He frowned. “Billy?” The name dripped from his mouth in distaste.
“Yes, Billy. A lot of people think he’s the scum of the earth—”
“That’s because he is the scum of the earth.”
“Not always, Nitro. Sometimes the man surprises you.”
Silence settled between us for a few minutes while we each turned over our thoughts. I ended up breaking it when I said, “So, you have a brother and a sister. Is she younger than you, too?”
His grip on the steering wheel tightened as he nodded. “Marilyn’s five years younger than me.”
“And your parents? They’re still alive?” I wasn’t sure what fuelled me to keep talking, but that sliver of emotion I’d seen from him had gotten to me. It made me want to figure out why he was the way he was. It was the lawyer in me—always digging, searching, wondering what made people tick so I could figure out their next likely move.
His knuckles whitened as he squeezed the wheel even harder. “I’m not here to talk about my family,” he snapped.
It figured. I was actually surprised he’d given me what he had. But still, I wanted more. Shifting in my seat, I said, “You didn’t tell me where we’re going.”
“To the clubhouse.”
My phone rang.
Billy.
“Tatum, where the fuck are you?” he demanded when I answered his call.
