Smoke and Steel (Wild West MC #2)(36)

But worry hit his gut, because he knew very little about her father, but he also knew that was not going to go well, and he didn’t want that for her.

“My mom prefers her daughters take the high road, even when it’s rocky,” she explained. “She’s worried we’ll regret it if we don’t. Sadly, she’s correct.”

“Right,” he muttered, slapping his steak on a plate, thinking her mom was right, at the same time she was wrong.

He dumped some cheddar Ruffles beside it and took it to the counter.

Nanook dogged his heels.

Hellen didn’t move from the window.

He pulled out a fork and knife, cut off a good strip, and dropped it to Nanook.

His boy caught it with an audible chomp and swallowed it whole.

Core grinned.

He had a hunk in his own mouth and was chewing when she finally looked at him.

“We’re done, aren’t we?”

His throat closed and he almost spit out the steak.

He forced it down, opened his mouth…

But she got there first.

“You aren’t looking after me because of Eleanor anymore. You’ll be dealing with Bree’s thing, just you and your brothers. So there’s no reason we need to be in each other’s lives anymore, is there?”

“Baby,” he said conciliatorily, “I know you’re ticked—”

“It’s not that I’m ticked. It’s that, regardless you give quite a few mixed signals, you’ve made it clear we’re not going to go there. You have your life, I have mine, and it’s actually dumb luck, the dumb part being me, we met at all.”

“You’re not dumb,” he said.

She tipped her head. “I’m not?”

He’d earned that.

“It was a dumb thing to do. But you’re not dumb. And I get you felt the need to stick by your girl. If she was determined to carry that out, much better you and Marcy were there. So mostly, I was pissed as shit at her, but I don’t know her. So I took it out on you. That said,” he made sure to add, “I was also pissed at you.”

“What is this, Core?” she demanded.

“What’s what?” he asked.

She turned fully to him and lifted a hand, flapping it between them. “This. What’s this?”

God fucking dammit.

Now, it was the time.

He just hated that it was.

He was going to go gentle again, he opened his mouth…

And again, she got there before him.

“You don’t have to say it.” She spoke quietly. “I know. So after this, I promise I’m not going to let Bree do anything stupid, but I figure she’s already made that promise to herself. This means you won’t have to save us again, neither will any of your friends. So we’re done.”

It was like taking the steak knife and cutting himself from gullet to gut, having to say, “Yeah, baby. You’re right. We’re done.”

She lifted her chin a smidge. “Can I please have my phone to call an Uber?”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, please do not make me put you in a car with a stranger.”

He saw the sheen of tears before she looked out the window again.

Core finished his steak fast, ate a few chips, swilled it back with some beer, and called softly, “Ready?”

She immediately set her beer on his kitchen table and walked to him. He handed over her phone as she walked right past him toward his garage door, not even glancing up at him.

Not giving him those pretty green eyes or what was in them, he’d even take her hurt, that was how deep he was sinking into her.

Jesus.

Yup.

Gutted.

Nanook started to come with, and her voice was throaty when, for some reason, she begged, “Not the dog. Please. Can he stay at home by himself?”

“Sit. Stay, Nanook.”

Nanook sat and didn’t move.

They hit the garage.

He opened her door on the truck.

She avoided looking at him as she climbed in.

He got in beside her, pulled out and drove her home.

He was idling at her curb when he turned to her.

“Hellen—”

“’Bye, Dustin,” she whispered, already opening her door.

She leaped out and slammed the door without looking back.

Running on her toes up the walk, she was closed into her apartment before he could release his breath.

And she was gone.





9





WHAT MATTERS





Core





It was ten to midnight the next night.

Friday.

Core was standing a few feet from his bike, his back resting against the brick of a building.

He was in an alley behind a restaurant in downtown Denver, and he had his phone to his ear.

The voice that came over the line was either altered, or someone was typing out the words and the reading was automated. He didn’t know which.

The brothers had discussions about it. Core was in the camp it was automated because, he reckoned, that was the only way The Nerd rolled.

“Your assignment has been accepted,” the voice said. “Research will commence at zero hundred hours Saturday.” In other words, in ten minutes. “Expect a report at eighteen hundred hours on Sunday.”