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That’s why I just stand there while my sister and best friend frown at each other. Fortunately, Suzanne hurries out of the office and swallows up the bad vibes before replacing them with her subdued panic.
My mother’s been crying. Her eyes are bloodshot. My long journey from my clinic to this house must have eaten away at her. Now, I’m in her safe bubble.
“You look okay,” Suzanne says, hugging me and calming herself. “You don’t seem hurt.”
“Walla Walla and Goose saved us,” I reply quickly, wanting to give credit to them before they’re pushed off the estate.
Suzanne sees a chance to switch from fear to a proactive paranoia. Taking my hand, she walks into her study. “I’m a little confused about that part. If they work for your father, why not contact the local authorities?”
“They don’t work for Urick,” I explain, hating to hear my father’s name out loud. “They’re from the town over. These men who attacked us also attacked Urick’s family and the Steel Berserkers club. That’s why Walla Walla and Goose offered to help. They have the same enemy.”
“And they didn’t contact the local authorities for the same reason I didn’t,” Suzanne says as she sinks into her lavish leather chair behind her desk. “Why did these men come after you?”
While Hunter stands near the windows, Coco and I take a spot on the leather couch.
“They failed to kill Urick and his sons.”
Suzanne taps her fingers on the desk and shakes her head. “Someone sent them here. I suspect your brothers are making a play.”
“Could be,” says a male voice from behind us. I turn to find Walla Walla shadowing the doorway. “But Erik got a bullet in the back, so I doubt he’s happy with how things turned out.”
“Which one is Erik?” Suzanne asks despite her stellar memory.
I think she simply wants a moment to soak in the sight of Walla Walla. He is an impressively beautiful man. His long, blond hair hasn’t fully dried after his shower. His tanned skin looks damp. I notice the way the supplied shirt hangs off him too loosely. It’s a “big” man’s shirt to allow for his wide shoulders and long torso, but his muscled torso can’t fill out the belly section.
“You look ridiculous,” Coco announces, startling me from my lovesick thoughts.
She isn’t speaking to Walla Walla. Her hostility is directed at Goose in a blush-colored, cashmere top and black leggings. She looks ready for a casual trip out to yoga and lunch rather than riding with the boys.
“You look weird without makeup,” Goose gripes back at her.
Coco jumps up from the couch and storms over to give the redhead a piece of her mind. Walla Walla instantly takes my friend’s spot next to me.
“You look tired,” he says in a soft voice.
I love how Walla Walla ignores everyone except me. His gaze wraps me in a warm feeling as if we’re alone in the world.
“So do you.”
“I feel comfy, though,” he says and leans back to show off the flouncy part of his shirt. “I ought to wear a muumuu dress more often.”
His comment makes me laugh for an irrationally long time. As Suzanne keeps her eye on him, I feel her scheming. My worry over that problem only increases my stress laughter. Coco stops trash-talking Goose long enough to ask if I’m okay. Nodding, I try to get myself under control.
“You saved my daughter,” Suzanne tells Walla Walla and then adds, “And her employee.”
Coco frowns at my mother who refuses to look at her. I catch Suzanne smirking at my friend’s annoyance.
“I wish we could have done it without her losing her business,” Walla Walla says, peeling his gaze from me long enough to glance at my mom and then noticing Hunter. “I’ve never been in a room with so many redheads. It’s a real good feeling.”
Suzanne leans back in her chair and puts together what’s happening. I don’t need to tell her how I’m crushing hard on the biker. Even though I’ve been doggedly celibate for my entire adult life, she recognizes horny when she sees it.
“We can order you normal clothes if you give Matthew your sizes,” Suzanne says and then stands up. “You didn’t get a chance for dinner. Let’s move to the dining room and relax. Hunter, will you stick around?”
My sister doesn’t want her organized life disrupted. Normally, she’d rehearse with her band tonight before working a shift at the Verge Casino. She likes her schedule, yet I know my sister harbors fears.
I suspect that’s the reason she lost interest in Leon Kovak. He is a violent man within a violent world. This is likely the same reason she doesn’t submit to Tack’s charms. That night in Canary Basin ruined her carefree nature. She’s gotten strong and filled her life with activities, yet the fear lingers.
My hang-ups are more obvious. However, Walla Walla tempts me to ignore my fear and grab hold of this opportunity. The real sticking point is what I’m willing to do once I get a taste of this sexy, dangerous man.
