Dare To Run (The Sons of Steel Row #1)(54)

“Yeah.” He stepped into a pair of gray sweats and walked to the door. When he got there, he stared at me, his hair mussed and his chest marred with scratches. Scratches I’d put there. “Sleep tight.”

I yawned and burrowed under the blankets. But then I realized I was tucked in and he was leaving. “Wait. Where are you going?”

“Heidi . . .” Resting a hand on the switch, he gave me an exasperated look. He took a step toward me but then stopped, flexing his jaw. “You know where I’m going.”

“To work on cars?”

He shook his head once. “No. I’m going to go change the lock, and then I’m gonna crash.”

“Oh.” I threw the covers back. “I can help you, and then we can go to bed together. I’d like to—”

He crossed the room and pushed the covers over my legs again. “No.”

“But—” I blinked at him. “Why?”

“Because I’m not coming back in here, Heidi. My opinion on sleeping next to another person hasn’t changed.”

“Seriously?” I lifted up on an elbow. “You still won’t sleep with me, after all that? What do you think I’m going to do to you?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he shut off the light and walked out, closing the door gently behind him. I stared at it, wondering what the hell he had against sharing a bed. And why I wanted so badly for him to come back . . .

Even though he pissed me off more than any other man ever had before.





CHAPTER 17





LUCAS




I woke up slowly to the sound of bacon frying, and the accompanying delicious aroma teased my senses into full awareness. For a second, I couldn’t figure out who the hell would be cooking me breakfast on a Wednesday morning. Then everything came rushing back, and I jerked straight up. The couch had been even more uncomfortable last night than it had been before, and I’d slept horribly. I’d been two seconds from crawling into bed with Heidi.

Then I’d remembered I didn’t spoon with women, and I’d stayed the f*ck on the couch. Rolling my shoulders, I winced and glanced into the kitchen. Heidi tapped her foot as she cooked, her earbuds in, and she sang along silently to music only she could hear.

In the short time I’d known Heidi, I’d learned that she couldn’t just be. Silence and Heidi didn’t get along, which was funny considering how much silence and I did get along.

Lurching to my feet, I stretched, groaning and yawning at the same time. Heidi kept cooking, in her own little world, oblivious to the fact that I was up. Or she didn’t give a damn. Either way, she didn’t see me slip inside my bedroom with my phone.

Before I’d passed out last night, I kept going over the situation with Scotty, and I’d decided to confront the issue head-on. I was going to arrange a face-to-face with Scotty and let him know his secrets were out. He was getting one chance to get his shit together, or I’d do what needed to be done.

No matter how much I didn’t want to.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and sent the text before I changed my mind. Hey, can we meet up for lunch at Charlie’s? I wanted to talk to you about a few things.

Chris would tell me I was being a fool, opening myself up for an attack like this. But Scotty wasn’t just an enemy—he was my blood, my little brother. I remembered holding his hand when I walked him to school, making a lopsided birthday cake when he turned ten, his grin when I gave him that game system as a Christmas present. I’d saved up all year for that. And now I needed to get through to him, one way or another.

My phone buzzed with Scotty’s response. Sure. What time?

I glanced at the clock. It was shortly after nine thirty. I’d slept in. Eleven. Come alone.

He didn’t reply, affirmatively or negatively. Shaking my head, I texted Brian, Tate’s right-hand man. Meeting up with Scotty in Charlie’s at eleven. Need anything while I’m there?

Charlie’s was another front for money laundering, and we kept a large quantity of our cash in the safe. This was a dangerous play. There was a slight chance—okay, it was fifty-fifty—that I wouldn’t make it out alive. If I didn’t, someone needed to know where I’d been, and whom I’d been with.

Nah, but stop by after. Tate wants to talk to you.

I stood and rubbed my jaw, staring at myself in the mirror. My restless night hadn’t done me any favors, and a hint of desperation darkened my expression. I couldn’t help it. I was facing impossible choices.

The door opened, and Heidi poked her head in.

She didn’t meet my eyes, and her cheeks were flushed. She looked nervous. Why the hell was she nervous? Maybe it had something to do with last night. She’d said she didn’t have any regrets, but she could’ve lied. “You’re up?”

“You think?” I asked dryly.

She waved a hand dismissively. Her blond hair was damp, and she smelled like peaches even from this distance. “Whatever. I’m making breakfast, and it’ll be ready in ten minutes.”

I scratched my stomach, liking the way her gaze dropped to the brief flash of my abs. “Okay. I’ll be out in a few.”

She didn’t reply, and closed the door again. I made quick work of brushing my teeth and showering before walking into the living room and making my way to the kitchen barefoot. Heidi had her earbuds in again, so she didn’t hear me come up behind her. She swung her hips, tossing her head back and forth as she danced to whatever the hell it was she listened to.