Rock Hard: A Stepbrother Romance (Extreme Sports Alphas) (23 page)

I raised an eyebrow. “An internal struggle?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Why?”

“Hard to say. I heard something about money. Not getting enough of it, I guess.”

“Tell me more. Who’s involved?”

“I don’t know, man. Jay is definitely involved somehow. Who’d you meet up north?”

“Guy named Rigley.”

“Rigley! Shit, I knew it was a weird name. Yeah, he’s important up there.”

“Why is he meeting with me, then?”

“Hard to say.”

I leaned back against the truck and crossed my arms, thoughtful.

“So there’s a civil war going on and it’s all over money, right?”

“Seems that way.”

“And we know where they keep their money here.”

“We do?”

I nodded. “Or at least where they launder it.” I felt like I was talking to a child.

“I’m not sure I like where you’re going with this.”

I glared at him. “You don’t know where I’m going with this and don’t pretend like you’re capable of following along.”

He shrugged. “Whatever, man, so long as I get my ten grand.”

“You will.”

“Hey, you sure you don’t got that amp? Mine really is a piece of shit.”

I only heard half of what Thom was saying, though, as I looked across the field and my heart skipped a beat. Standing with Lindsey was Becca, and they were both talking to a group of three mobsters.

“What’s Becca doing here?” I said softly.

Thom turned and looked. “Oh damn. Yeah, your sister is here.”

“She’s with Lindsey. And who are those guys?”

“That’s Jay and his goons, man.” Thom laughed. “What’s she doing with Lindsey?”

“They’re friends.” I pushed up off the truck bed and began walking fast back toward Becca. I needed her to get away from Jay before she gave away who she was.

I couldn’t put her in more danger. The more Jay knew about her, the worse it could be for her. I practically ran to get there.

“Lindsey is bad news, man,” Thom said, but I barely heard him. “She’s connected as fuck right now.”

I crossed the field, rapidly closing in on Becca and the mobsters. I had to get her out of there.

Nothing else was on my mind but keeping her safe.

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H
ours later, in the van out in the middle of the woods, Thom’s words came back to me.
She’s connected as fuck right now,
he had said.

But what the hell did he mean by that?

Lindsey was definitely an addict, and she had been standing really close to Jay, but that was no surprise. I assumed she was fucking him for drugs or something.

But what if it was more than that? Lindsey had been working at the Blue for a while.

I shook my head. That girl was too dumb to be that involved. Plus, Becca despised me as it was. I couldn’t keep pushing her further away. True, she was better off if I wasn’t in her life, but that didn’t matter.

Everything had become about Becca.

I wanted to get away from the mob not just for my own sake, but for my family’s, too. The longer I stayed in, the more possible danger they were in.

And I couldn’t take it if anything bad happened to Becca.

I sighed and rolled over, exhaustion weighing down my lids. I blew out the candle, turned off my phone, and wrapped myself in blankets.

I needed to think. I needed to piece it all together.

And I needed to keep Becca safe.

I fell asleep dreaming about sneaking into her warm, comfortable room and sliding my hard dick deep between her legs.

H
e was hot and cold. Mostly hot, but suddenly something seemed to clamp down inside him and he’d pull away. I hadn’t seen it happen often. It had happened when he confessed the smuggling to me, and again when we were in the car, driving home from the party.

He looked like he was stemming the tide. Of what, I had no clue, but there was something locked down there that he was keeping from me.

He didn’t come home that night. I know because I woke up around five in the morning and checked his room. I felt like such a creep poking my head into his room, but I felt a little worried. Seeing his empty bed didn’t help my anxiety at all.

Sleep didn’t come back, and so I was exhausted when I stumbled into the kitchen around seven. Cora was already awake and cooking pancakes.

“Good morning,” she said.

“Morning,” I grumbled, pouring myself some coffee.

“Want some?”

I nodded blearily, taking the first delicious sip of the morning. I looked forward to that first cup of coffee every single day. It was the best kind of ritual.

“Where’s my dad?” I asked, sitting down.

“Took a weekend shift.”

“Again?”

“I keep trying to talk him out of it but he just keeps working.”

I frowned. My dad was barely ever home anymore. I was beginning to worry that he had a second family, or maybe that he was going to work himself to death. I wasn’t sure which was worse.

Cora finished the stack she was working on and plopped the three golden-brown cakes down on a plate in front of me.

“Oh no, you eat first,” I said.

“Already did. I was just finishing off the batter.”

I nodded thankfully and dug in without another word. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until the soft, fluffy goodness hit my lips. I poured on some syrup and went to town.

Cora sat down across from me. “Hungry?”

“Starving,” I said with a mouthful of pancake.

She laughed. “I can make more if you want?”

“No, thanks. This is great.”

I continued to scarf down the cakes as Cora read the paper and drank her coffee. Finally, after every single delicious bite was gone, I leaned back in my chair. Cora grinned at me.

“Hey, how about taking a walk with me?” she asked.

“Okay, sure. Any place in mind?”

“Nope. Just a little hike around the property. I feel like I’ve barely seen you.”

“I know. Sorry I’ve been so busy at work.”

“Don’t apologize.” She stood up. “Meet me out back in ten?”

“See you there.”

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T
he woods were cool and crisp as we crunched and squished our way along the path. We walked slowly, avoiding the puddles. We had clearly gotten a lot of rain overnight, though I hadn’t noticed at all.

Normally, my mornings would be spent curled up on the couch watching trashy TV and sipping coffee until I felt awake and human. I was admittedly a bit of a couch potato, but I loved being comfortable more than anything in the world. And I was really good at being comfortable.

But as we walked, I had to admit that the forest was beautiful early in the morning. It wasn’t too hot or humid, and the trees and leaves were sparkling slightly with the damp dew leftover from the rain.

“How is it being back?” Cora asked.

“It’s good. It feels like everything and nothing is different.”

She nodded. “This place does that to you sometimes. Feels like it never moves.”

“That can be a good thing, though, right?”

“Sure. Your father loves it.”

“You don’t?”

“I’ve grown used to it. And I love your father.”

“I can’t really say how I feel about it. I mean, I grew up here, so Ridgewood will always be special. But I’m noticing things that I never saw when I was a kid.”

“Welcome to being an adult.”

I laughed. “Being an adult sucks.”

“Tell me about it.” She made a face. “Anyway, this is the longest you’ve stayed here in a while.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Do you like your job?”

“It’s okay. I don’t love being a waitress, but I like the place and the people.”

“That’s good. Working with good people can make a bad job bearable.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t been home more. You know I wanted to come back.”

“Don’t start with this again,” she said, waiving me off. “You did the right thing.”

“I know. I still feel guilty.”

She smiled. “Well don’t.” She paused and looked out across the forest. “How’s Reid doing?” she asked, changing the subject.

“I’m not sure, honestly,” I said cautiously.

“He didn’t come home again last night.”

“Does he do that often?”

“Sometimes. He’ll disappear for a few days, and if we ask where he’s been, he makes up some excuse.”

“Do you know where he goes?”

“I have guesses, but no, not really. Do you?”

“No, I’m sorry. I have no clue.”

“He can be . . . frustrating, that boy.”

I laughed. “That’s an understatement.”

“But he’s been so helpful,” she said, continuing. “I don’t want to come down on him because he’s done so much for us, but I just wish he would be a little more open.”

“He has done a lot,” I said, nodding.

“Too much, if you ask your father.” She glanced at me. “And don’t get me wrong, we’re not stupid. We know the amount of money he’s given us hasn’t come from climbing competitions alone.”

I looked at her, surprised at how open she was being, but decided to stay quiet. It wasn’t my place to tell her anything. Even if I was pissed at Reid, I still cared about him more than I wanted to admit. It wasn’t my place to tell his mother something he wanted kept secret.

“I just hope he isn’t doing something stupid, you know?” she said.

I nodded slowly. “I completely understand.”

“It’s good for him that you’re back. There aren’t many decent people left in this town. His friends are mostly . . . unsavory.”

“I’m not sure I’m much better.”

She laughed, taking my arm. “You certainly are, dear, believe me.”

I laughed with her and she let me go. We walked for a minute in silence.

“Can I ask you something?” I said suddenly.

“Sure, anything.”

“Why do you think Reid never moved out?”

She laughed. “He wanted to stay here and take care of me.”

“But you’re in remission.”

She nodded slowly. “I think there’s a part of him that’s afraid I’ll get sick again.”

“What do the doctors think?”

“They think I’m in better shape than they are.”

“He was really good,” I said softly. “At climbing, I mean.”

“He still is.”

“I know. I guess I just wish he was out there more.”

“So do I. Which is what I’m hoping you’ll help him with.”

“How am I going to do that?”

“He doesn’t open up to people very often, but I’ve seen him around you.”

I felt a stab of fear shoot through me. Could she possibly know about what’s going on between us? If she did, there was no way she’d be so calm about it.

“I don’t know,” I said.

“Maybe he’ll realize that I’m fine and that it’s time for him to live his own life. I love having him around, but he’s done enough. It’s time for him to move on.”

I had a huge range of emotions run through me as we walked back toward the house. I was warm and sweating slightly and definitely ready for a shower.

“This was good,” I said as we climbed up onto the back porch.

“Yeah. We have to do it again.” She paused. “And Becca?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t tell him what I said. I’m afraid it’ll just shut him off even more.”

“Okay. Promise.”

“Thanks, sweetie. I’m going to the store soon. Let me know if you need anything.”

I sat down on the back steps, looking out into the woods as she went back inside. I didn’t know what I wanted or where I was going, but she was right about Reid. He was closed off, although every once in a while I caught a glimpse of whatever was floating underneath his layers of cocky strength.

He was a protective asshole. But he was also one of the best people I had ever met. He was a drug smuggler, but he took care of his sick mom. He was one contradiction after another.

And the mere thought of him made my heart race.

I stood up and went back inside, kicking off my boots and pulling off my light jacket. I went upstairs, my mind already thinking about how great it was going to feel to take a long, hot shower.

I pushed open my bedroom door, not paying any attention as I pulled off my shirt and tossed it on the floor near the hamper.

“Hey, Becca.” I froze and looked up. Reid was sitting on my bed, grinning hugely at me. “Nice tits.”

“Reid, what the hell?”

I crossed my arms, covering my breasts. I was wearing a bra and he’d seen it a hundred times, but still. I felt a little blush come over my cheeks.

“You look good.”

“What are you doing in here?”

He frowned suddenly and looked serious.

“We need to talk.”

“Can I put on a shirt first?”

“Only if you have to. But close the door.”

I pulled it shut. “Is this serious?”

His face said it all.

“Yeah, it is.”

I felt fear jolt through me.