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“I mean…” She waved her hand in the air while she talked. “He has to know how protective Bear is of you, and Race puts him to shame.” I smiled sadly when she mentioned Race, and she sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought him up. Maggie told me she’s babysitting because he’s out of town. Have you heard from him?”
“No.” I shook my head. “And I’m starting to wonder if I ever will.”
“You will,” she tried to reassure me.
“I hope so.” I nodded sadly. “Sal mentioned Race.”
“What did he say?”
“He asked me if Race helped pick out Wyatt’s name and then said he was worried about the people I had in Wyatt’s life, including Race. But the weird thing was he talked about him being home and up to his old ways.”
“What does that mean?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Her eyebrows drew together. “What else did he say?”
“Nothing specific, but it just felt off, you know. And then before he left, he said sometimes things happen that are insignificant but change everything.”
“Then he left?”
“After he said he’d see me soon.”
Her eyebrows lifted slowly. “Are you afraid he’ll hurt you or Wyatt?”
“See, that’s just it. I don’t know.” I shrugged. “He’s never hurt me, but I only know him as a sex buddy. I don’t even know what he does, except that he’s in real estate, I think.”
She looked thoughtful for a moment. “How does he know Manny?”
“I have no idea. The day we went there, he dropped something off. That’s all I knew, and I didn’t even go into the building. I waited in the car.”
“Have you told Bear anything about him?”
“God, no,” I answered immediately. “I knew the moment I met Sal that Bear would hate him, so I’ve kept Sal to myself.”
“Okay.” She sighed. “Well then, there’s only one thing to do.”
“And that is?”
“You have to tell Bear.”
“No.” I stood and paced the length of the living room. “I can’t. He can’t handle much more. With all the Widows’ changes and the fallout from what happened with Skinner, which was huge.” I stopped and stared at my friend before trailing off, not wanting to hurt her feelings.
“And because of me,” she finished for me.
“I’m sorry,” I replied truthfully. “But yeah, because of what happened between you two, he just isn’t the same. He’s angry, and he’s looking for a place to lay that. I can’t let it be on someone who I don’t know that well. I can’t be responsible for what could happen if he just reacts to it all without considering what he’s doing.”
She nodded. “Can you call Race?”
I put my hands on my hips. “He doesn’t have his phone. He told me he wouldn’t, but I tried it anyway, and it went straight to voicemail.”
“Has Bear talked to Race?”
I ran my fingertips over the necklace and shook my head. “I asked him, and he said no, but I’m not sure if he would tell me, especially if Race is in some kind of trouble and he thinks I wouldn’t react well.” I smiled and plopped down on the couch again. “I have a history of being a little impulsive.”
Josie snorted out a laugh. “A little?”
“Okay.” I laughed. “Maybe I was in the past, but I’m getting better.”
