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Leah looked up at Rae and reached for her hand, tugging her closer as she leaned her head against Rae’s stomach. “My sister has a baby in her belly and she’s really sick. I hear her throwing up every morning.”
Silence engulfed the room as Edge appeared shocked, slapping a hand down on the nearby counter as his jaw dropped a little. I didn’t have a single thought in my head except for the loneliness I felt at the news. Edge and Rae were starting a family. Together with Leah, they had the beginning of their happily ever after. A bitter rush of something close to regret and anguish swished around in my head. Maybe it was foolish, but I felt completely discarded by the news.
Cara cleared her throat. “Is that why you’ve been so sad at school?”
Rae gasped, looking down at Leah. “You’ve been sad?”
“Yeah,” Leah admitted, hugging her sister. “I hope you’ll still love me when the baby comes.”
Rae’s big brown eyes filled with tears. She dropped to her knees, cupping her little sister’s face. “I will always, always love you, Leah. Even when this baby comes, I’ll still love you just as much.”
Leah seemed relieved. “Good, because that was a secret and I wasn’t supposed to tell.”
Rae held Leah close, whispering in her ear, “It’s okay. I’m not mad.”
Cara smiled and backed away, glancing around the kitchen. She placed her pen inside her purse and held the clipboard to her chest. “I think we have the mystery solved.”
Rae sighed softly, hugging Leah close. “That’s why you came.”
“Yes,” Cara confirmed. “I can see Leah is loved and well cared for. Consider this the one and only visit from my office.” She reached out and patted Leah on the top of the head. “I’ll see you in school.”
“Bye, Cara!”
I watched as Cara headed toward the front door, a small secret smile lingering on her lips. Edge seemed to come to his senses and gathered both his precious little women into his arms as I turned and followed Cara.
“I never caught your name.”
Staring down at her with curiosity, I shrugged. “R.J.”
“Well, R.J. It was . . . interesting to meet you. Have a lovely evening.”
I ticked my head in answer, leaning against the front door as I shut it and pulled a smoke from the pack located inside my cut, lighting up as Cara slung her bag into her car and then climbed inside. She backed slowly down the driveway as our gaze locked and I couldn’t resist a wicked grin. Even from here, I caught her answering blush.
Once she was out on the street, I tossed my cigarette down and stomped it out with my boot. Time to learn a little bit more about Cara. I threw a leg over my bike and fired it up, hauling ass down the road until I saw which way she’d gone. Riding at a distance, I followed Cara for several miles until she parked her car on the other side of town.
Providence was mostly a nice community with a low crime rate and plenty of happy neighborhoods filled with families that were oblivious to the bikers who ran their town. On the edge of city was where things changed. When Cara entered the homeless shelter by the old railroad tracks, I became more than a little curious.
What business did a pretty young social worker have in a place like this?
Unable to help myself, I climbed off my hog and decided on a little recon. Through the back entrance, I could see into the shelter and watched in total surprise as she emerged from a small room, her clothing changed. She was in jeans and a t-shirt as she pulled her hair up and tied it back, then added an apron around her waist. She moved to the kitchen area where Cara washed her hands and then began helping with food preparation.
Huh.
Maybe I had judged her a little too quickly.
This girl was a bit too saintly in my opinion, one of those types who helped everyone and had a perfect life. She probably had an expensive education and plenty of awards up on her wall. A true humanitarian and selfless caregiver.
Snorting, I shook my head.
I’d corrupt and sully that sweet innocence real fast.
A girl like that was all wrong for me. Not that I wasn’t more than a little attracted to her purity. There was just something about her that almost reminded me of Rae, but it didn’t matter. Cara’s life couldn’t be more different than my own. I was a born sinner, hung out on the wrong side of the law, and didn’t follow the rules. As a Rider with my club, I was both lethal and involved in some serious shit. We were two people on opposite ends of the spectrum.
There was nothing in common between a sinner and a saint.
Chapter 4 – R.J.
Business still had to run in Providence, even if shit with the Outlaws was getting serious. It was only a few hours later that I arrived at my destination. My shit day had gone from bad to worse as I glared at the entrance lit up with bright neon lights. Parking my bike, I sighed. This was gonna be a long night.
