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“I’m hoping she’ll never have the pleasure of meeting you. She’s not up for that type of excitement in her life. She likes the slow lane.”
“I’ll accept my fate, but you’d better get some puppies out of it. You’re getting old my friend.”
“Don’t forget who used to change my diapers. I’m not any older than the neighborhood babysitter.”
“Touché. Let me get your suburban Mom car. I have one in mind already. But I expect details if I can pull this off.”
“You’ll get details when there is something to say. For now it’s friendly. A favor if you will.”
“Yeah. Like you would do something nice for free. Kiss my ass. I’ll call you when it’s done.” The line disconnected. Was I that predictable? It wasn’t like I never helped anyone. I could have fed Jen to the wolves, but instead I was fixing her life up. And I wasn’t doing it all fo
r my sake. Sure, I hoped that she would show her gratitude by becoming my mate, but it wasn’t like I was going to force the issue. She has free will. I just wanted to help her decision along a bit. Not quite stack the deck but get a house advantage at least. I wasn’t a bad guy. Sure, I did bad things sometimes. But it was all to take care of my family. I wish more people understood that. I looked towards the living room, where Frank was still sleeping. I knew he thought I was heartless, but it’s important not to show weakness or vulnerabilities as an alpha. Frank and Wes would understand that, if they had ever led a pack. It’s not an easy job. Too much responsibility was on my plate and they needed to start pulling their weight, especially Wes. All he did was fiddle around with bikes anymore. I walked over to Wes’s door and knocked. He had been hiding out sulking ever since Jen walked into our lives. He acted like it was a secret he was sweet on her. What did he think I was trying to do? Of course, if she’s around he will be able to be with her. I always try and share all of my potential mates. And he’s lucky for that. Did he think that all pack leaders were so generous and understanding? Wrath would rip out his own brother’s throat if he came near Shayla. But we were not like the others. We were one.
I knocked again, harder this time. His room was completely quiet. I turned the doorknob and entered. The blankets on his bed were piled and crinkled, but the bed was empty. I checked the bathroom; it was empty as well. We all came home together, and Wes skipped lunch and went straight into his room. I didn’t see him leave, but I hadn’t heard him in a while. Our apartment was on the fourth floor. It wasn’t impossible, but Wes wasn’t the daredevil type. Scaling tall buildings or leaping from heights wasn’t his thing. And where would he go? I sat down on the bed and stared at the open window. This was not good. There is only one place that Wes could have gone. Although I didn’t give an explicit command not to see her, he was supposed to let me handle this. My heart sank. Could my brother possibly betray me? How deep did his crush go? Would he be willing to throw away everything we’ve built for it? To defy me? Or was he up to spying on her again? There was only one way to find out. Wes was gone. And I was going to have to go after him. Buckle up Jen. Here I come.
Chapter 17
Jennifer
The wind was whipping through my hair sending strands into my eyes and mouth. The flimsy hair tie that I used for my messy bun was long gone. Although my helmet kept enough strands off my face that I wasn’t completely blind, my goal of appearing effortlessly sexy on this bike was blown. I would be lucky if my hair was remotely brushable after this. I squealed as Wes turned sharply, crossing through the red-light, right before oncoming traffic started moving. This guy can ride. He must have started quite early. Wes zipped through the streets as if he was on his own two feet. Wrapped around him, I felt as if I was planted on the earth, even as the ground whizzed underneath of us. When we made a left instead of a right towards the girls’ daycare, I tugged at Wes’s jacket. He didn’t respond or turn around. The helmet and street traffic drowned out my protests. We stopped in front of a low brick building with broken windows.
“Where are we?” I cried as I jumped off the bike.
Wes put his fingers to his lips and walked towards the white garage door. Was this a warehouse or body shop of some sort? Could this be their bike shop? Wes bent over and grabbed the garage door by the handle and gave it a sharp tug. The door shrieked as it rose a few feet. He ducked underneath of the door and disappeared into the garage. I tiptoed over to the door and peeked inside. A musty smell rose from within. It smelled like no one had visited this place for quite some time. The garage door squealed as Wes raised it the rest of the way. Three cars were covered in dust inside. Two sedans and a large SUV. Wes was fiddling underneath of the SUV.
“Got em’.” He muttered and climbed from underneath the vehicle. He held up a set of keys and wiggled them. “Let’s go get the girls.”
I smiled in spite of myself. “I was wondering how we were going to manage to get them on a bike.” I was dreading the taxi from the daycare. The girls hated changes in routine. A smoke-filled cab and no car seats were the catalysts to a night filled with tantrums. As I climbed into the car, Wes ran the windshield wipers and sprayed washing fluid to clear the view. Dust smeared to the sides.
“Hand me that rag.” He asked, pointing to a dirty red piece of cloth on the backseat. I stretched from the passenger side into the backseat. It was too far for me to reach. I leaned further into the console, my hips brushing past Wes’s arm. I was close enough to smell his cologne. It was earthy and spicy, but subtle enough that I didn’t pick it up on the back of the bike. Nothing was more annoying than the guys that try to drown you in their scent. I reached the rag and tossed it to him, flopping back down into the passenger seat.
“Thanks.” He leaned out of the rolled down window and brushed away enough dust until the pane was clear. He threw the rag back into the backseat. He started the car with a rumble and eased out of the garage. After hopping out to close the door, he climbed back into the car and we headed back to the East side of town. The last call for the daycare was nine o’clock, but I called ahead to make sure they understood the situation. It wasn’t every day that your ex-husband sets fire to your vehicle. Exceptions must be made. As we made it back onto the main road, it struck me as odd that not once during our entire marriage did Tim ever pick the girls up from daycare or get me out of a jam like this. He only got me into them. Is this what co-parenting looks like? I turned towards Wes. His eyes studied the road carefully. I put my hand on top of his hand. Heat rose from his skin. My palm tingled where our skin touched.
“I don’t know how to thank you.”
He looked down at my hand on his and then glanced back at me. Smiling, he turned back towards the road. “It’s nothing, really.”
Nothing. That’s how he described my rescue. As if it required no effort at all. The man conjured a car from nowhere and was going to help me pick up my daughters. I felt safe. Protected. Cared for. That wasn’t nothing. I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. It wasn’t nothing and I needed him to understand. It was everything.
Chapter 18
Wes
The sight of her lips coming at me nearly stopped my heart. The warmth of her kiss traveled from my cheek, down my jaw and neckline, and right into my chest. What the fuck did her ex do to her that made her so damn grateful over normal human decency? I decided that I needed to know. “Do the girls remember their father?” That probably wasn’t the most delicate way of putting things.
Jen’s face paled. “Not really.”
She continued to look straight. Her body was wound like a spring. Perhaps I chose the wrong topic of conversation. But, don’t friends talk about this kind of stuff? I wanted to know everything about her. “I’m not trying to be nosy. It’s only that I want you to know that you deserve better.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Jen was staring at me. I couldn’t decipher the look on her face because I was concentrating on traffic. “How do you know I didn’t get exactly what I deserved?” She spat out bitterly. I waited for her to continue, but we sat in silence. After I brought the car to a stop at a red light, I turned towards her and put my hand on her thigh. Her entire face contorted. Was she surprised? Disgusted? I took my hand from her leg. What she was saying didn’t make any sense. “What the hell are you talking about?” What could she possibly have done to deserve an ex-husband like that?
“I knew Tim was a criminal when we first met and I didn’t care. In fact, I thought it was romantic and exciting. Since he was charming and attractive, I didn’t realize how deep the rabbit hole went.”
I pressed my lips together, holding in a rebuttal. Now was not the time. Just listen.
“Of course, I thought he was skimming cash, maybe slinging some dope, something like that. At the time, I saw them as victimless crimes. Partiers getting drugs, rich people missing a few bucks at the end of the month.”
Victimless crimes? W
