Wild Like the Wind (Chaos #5)(46)

He knocked on her door like he usually did to give her the heads up he was outside, then he let himself in.

She was in her chair, her chin to her neck, motionless.

The air rushed out of his lungs and it felt like someone sucker punched him in his gut, so he had to press out his, “Jean?”

She didn’t move.

She might nap and he might wake her when he opened the door.

But he woke her when he opened the door.

Cautiously, he moved toward her feeling his skin start itching all over.

“Jean!” he called sharply.

She gave a jerk and her head came up.

Hound was so relieved he fell back on a foot as he swallowed the feeling that shot up his throat.

She blinked at the TV before she turned to look at him. “Shepherd, sweetie. You’re early.”

He walked to her, bent in and kissed her forehead.

He lifted away and said, “Was ticked earlier. Took off. Didn’t get my time with Jean bug.”

“Making up for it,” she said on a smile.

“Don’t get my daily dose of Law and Order, might quit breathing.”

Her smile got bigger.

He surveyed her area and asked, “Need anything?”

“Since you’re here, can we go to the bathroom?”

“You got it,” he muttered.

They did that.

They watched Law and Order with some Judge Judy mixed in just for shits and giggles, and he made her lunch.

Hound stayed longer than he normally did.

He needed to be out on the streets.

He needed to be doing the job he did for his Club so they could breathe easy.

But he stayed with Jean.

Benito Valenzuela and Camilla Turnbull unfortunately weren’t going anywhere.

That scare earlier with her asleep in her chair …

He needed to take his time with Jean.



That night, it didn’t start good.

This was because at eight oh three, there was a knock on the door, not a text on his phone telling Hound that she was there and he needed to come down and get her.

He went to it and saw Keely outside through the peephole.

So he opened the door fast and with such force, it was a wonder it didn’t come off the hinges.

“What’d I say about—?” he started to bite out.

But she scuttled in and said, “Please, let me start.”

He was about to slam the door.

But since he left Jean snoozing, she’d hear it and it would wake her up, he closed it quiet, flipped the locks, turned to Keely, crossed his arms on his chest and then didn’t move.

“It was wrong. It was … was wrong,” she began.

“You bet your ass it was,” he agreed angrily.

“Please, Hound, please let me get out what I need to say.”

He clamped his mouth shut.

“I know that … I know that …” She cleared her throat. “I know that the man you are, that was out of line. Unacceptable. I know that. I know that with what … uh, we have, that was also out of line.”

When he opened his mouth to speak, she hurried on.

“But you always watch me drive away. Always. This morning, it was morning. Not when I usually leave. And it was just weird that you, I mean, a biker doesn’t keep a schedule. Chaos boys don’t do that kind of thing especially. They do what they do. They are where they are. So you never …” She stopped and started again. “After eight every night, like a schedule. It was strange. And then you didn’t … well, you don’t mind me going. You’ve never asked me to spend the night. It’s okay that I go and a lot of the time it’s you that reminds me it’s time I go, and I just … got it in my head …”

She shook that head, took a deep breath and then kept going.

“We agreed that there was no one else and I got it in my head you were not honoring that and I acted on it and invaded your privacy with Jean and I’m sorry, Hound. I’m really sorry. It was out of line, I was rude in Jean’s home, and just … please, honey, I’m really, really sorry.”

“You think I’d ever do that shit to you?”

“No,” she said softly.

“This morning you thought I was doin’ that shit to you,” he reminded her.

“I was wrong this morning,” she replied. “I just was … you watch me drive away, Hound. And what we have, it’s intense, and you don’t mind me leaving in the middle of the night?” She shook her head. “I just got twisted up. I didn’t know you were looking after your elderly neighbor. How could I know that?”

He had to give her that.

But he also had to underline that point.

“I would never do that to you, Keely.”

“I know,” she whispered.

He stared in her eyes.

She now knew.

So he let that go.

“How’d you know I was in that apartment? Did you sneak up after me?” he asked.

“No.” She shook her head. “You didn’t watch me drive away so I didn’t pull out. I watched you go into the building. You started running like you were in a hurry. I did think about it, Hound. I really did. Then I … well, came to the wrong conclusion, turned the car off, came back in and went to your door. I was going to have it out with you here but you have a deep voice. It carries, and I heard you through the walls. I couldn’t hear what you said but I also heard Jean, just barely, but I knew it was a woman and I … well, I guess I flew off the handle.”