Rhys: Lost Breed MC Series: Book 7

by Parker, Ali

She shrugged and looked out the windshield. “I shouldn’t meddle.”

  I chuckled. “Nancy, be real. All you do is meddle. What’s up?”

  She smiled and looked down at her lap before looking at me again. “I don’t want to speak on Quinn’s behalf, but I just have to ask. You know she’s in love with you, right?”

  My breath caught in my throat, and my grip tightened on the steering wheel. I couldn’t respond.

  “She’s been in love with you for years. And I’m pretty sure you love her too. You don’t need to say anything to me. Really. I just needed you to know. If you’re going to leave her behind again after all this, then it needs to be the last time. Okay? She can’t keep doing this. It’s going to destroy her.”

  It will destroy me too.

  Nancy sighed. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.”

  “Not about you and Quinn. About this mess. It’s my fault. Well, I guess I’m sorry about you and Quinn, too. It sucks.”

  “Yeah, it really fucking does. And this isn’t your fault. Stop thinking that.”

  “I can’t just stop thinking it because someone tells me to.”

  “Why not?”

  She gave me a wry smile. “How many times has Quinn told you that Max’s death wasn’t your fault?”

  I stared at her.

  Nancy shrugged and looked back out at the open road before us. It was lined with tall pines, all casting dark shadows across the pavement in the early morning. “It’s not as easy as that, is it?”

  I looked at Quinn in the rear-view mirror. Her cheek was crushed against her sweater, and her mouth was open. She probably hadn’t slept all night. “No, it’s not.”

  After driving for an hour or so, it became impossible to stop myself from yawning. Nancy caught on and asked if I wanted a break from driving. I assured her that I was fine and drove another fifteen minutes or so. My eyes were getting heavier. I hadn’t slept a wink the night before. I’d spent the whole night driving, rushing to get to my girl.

  Not my girl. Quinn.

  I covered my mouth and tried to stifle my thousandth yawn.

  Nancy rolled her eyes at me. “Pull over. Let me drive just for a couple hours so you can get some sleep. You need it.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Rhys, I mean it. I don’t want to get in an accident because you were too proud to take a damn nap.”

  “Fair enough,” I muttered. I pulled over to the side of the road and switched places with Nancy. “Do you know where you’re going?”

  “Sure do,” she said. “Sleep. I’ll wake you up when we stop for gas, and we’ll grab a bite to eat. Deal?”

  “Deal,” I said as I leaned my chair back. I watched Nancy drive for a couple of minutes before it became impossible to fight my eyes from closing on me. The darkness behind my eyelids was inviting, and sleep wrapped me up in a cozy cocoon.

  * * *

  Someone shook me gently awake with their hand on my right shoulder. I blinked my eyes open and peered down at Quinn, who was crouched down outside the car beside me, looking at me through the open passenger door. Her long blonde hair was down and catching in the breeze. She shifted her weight on the balls of her feet and smiled at me. “Hey, Nancy is filling up the car. There’s a cafe here. You hungry?”

  My stomach growled. “Yes.”

  “Come on then. Let’s get something to eat.”

  I pulled my seat back upright and got out of the car. A twist to the right and then to the left relieved some of the stiffness in my back with a couple of cracks. Nancy made a disgusted face at me over the roof of the car as she stood by the gas pump to fill the tank. When she was done, she parked the car in an open spot beside the café, and Quinn and I waited for her outside the front door. Then we all went in together and were seated in a booth by the window where we could watch the cars fly by.

  We all ordered a hearty breakfast of eggs, toast, sausages, bacon, and hash browns. Nancy had orange juice while Quinn and I slurped down three cups of coffee each. I paid the tab, much to the annoyance of both women, and we lingered in the booth for a good fifteen minutes after we were done.

  I leaned forward on my elbows and looked at both of them sitting across from me. “I’m sorry about what you both had to go through last night. I thought Kyle would leave you well enough alone. I should have made sure.”

  Quinn shook her head. “It’s okay. You kept us safe anyway.”

  Nancy nodded.

  It didn’t feel like I’d kept them safe. It felt like I’d done the opposite. Like I’d poked the bear and made the whole situation worse than it needed to be. I sighed and raked my fingers through my hair. “Well, the good news is this time, I’ll have backup. I know Ryder will have my back on this. If I need help, he’ll give it. We’ll figure this out.”

  “No more hiding in safes?” Quinn asked. Her smile was genuine.

  I shook my head. “No more hiding in safes.”

  We left the cafe and got back in my car. I was ready to drive, feeling refreshed from the three hours of sleep Nancy indulged me in, and feeling even better with a full belly and three cups of coffee in my system. We hit the road and Quinn rode shotgun this time. She turned on the radio, and she and Nancy sang like they always used to when I drove them around the city.

  God damn, the nostalgia.

  After listening to them sing three songs back to back, I noticed a car in my mirrors that had been parked at the cafe. It was an old Lincoln with tinted windows and chipped black paint. Back in the day, it was probably a nice car, but now it was worn and not well taken care of.

  It still lingered in the trail of cars behind us after another three hours of driving. I decided not to tell the girls. There was no need to frighten them over something that might turn out to be nothing.

  But when I was half an hour from New York, the car was still there. We were being tailed.

  I called Aiden. “Where are you right now?”

  “Yo, man, what the fuck happened last night? Are you in Chicago?”

  “No, I’m back. I’m half an hour away from home. But I need a favor. Are you close by?”

  “Yeah, I’m at Angie’s with Liam and Owen.”

  “Meet me at my place?”

  “Why?” Aiden asked.

  “Just do as I say, will you?”

  “All right, chill out, man. We’ll be there.”

  I ended the call and gripped the steering wheel.

  “What’s going on?” Quinn asked from the back seat.

  I met her eyes in the mirror. “Someone has been following us.”

  “What?” she asked and started to turn around.

  “Don’t look back there. It’s fine. I want them to follow us.”

  “Why?” she and Nancy asked in unison.

  I grinned. “Because we’re on my turf now. And these bastards have no clue who they’re fucking with.”

  Nancy and Quinn sat in tense silence for the rest of the drive to my house. When we pulled up, three hogs and their riders stood in my driveway. I pulled in behind them, and Aiden came to my window. “What’s the deal?”

  I watched my mirrors as the black Lincoln cruised by slowly. “Follow the Lincoln. Hang back. I don’t want him knowing I’m onto him. Find out where they’re holeing up for the night and come straight back here, okay?”

  Aiden nodded and went to get on his bike. He was good like that. He knew the right and wrong time to ask questions. This was time sensitive. He pulled out of the driveway on his bike as I got out of the car and popped the trunk. The girls came out too and hugged Liam and Owen in greeting. It had been a while since we were all together like this.

  Max’s funeral had been the last time.

  Chapter 20

  Quinn

  I woke up roasting hot. My body was sticky with sweat. I groaned in discomfort, peeled the top sheet off my body, and looked around.

  I was in Rhys’s guest room. Nancy slept beside me. She had her back to me, and one arm dangled off the edge o
f her side of the bed. She snored softly, and I was sure there was drool on her pillow. Based on history, it was a high probability.

  Moving with care not to wake her, I got out of the bed. It creaked when my weight was off it, and I froze with my toes curled in the soft plush carpet. She didn’t stir.

  My bag was on the floor at the end of the bed. Softly and silently, I padded over to it and crouched down. I drew the zipper open and rummaged gently around in the bag for something warmer to put on. My cotton shorts and tank top weren’t doing it. I tugged the tank top off, rolled it up tight, and tucked it into the side of my bag before pulling my off the shoulder gray sweater on over my head. I cast a glance at Nancy, who was still out cold, and then pulled off my shorts and swapped them for my trusty loose gray sweats. I tightened the draw string of my pants, raked my fingers through my mane of bedhead, and went to the door. I let myself out into the hallway and closed it quietly behind me.

  “Morning,” a deep male voice said when the door clicked closed.

  I nearly jumped out of my skin. I spun around to see both Aiden and Rhys sitting in the living room. They were bowed conspiratorially together, but they leaned away from each other, trying to act casually.

  I rubbed the back of my head nervously. “Morning.”

  Aiden nodded his head at the opposite sofa. “Come sit. Want a cup of coffee?”

  “Um, sure. Just let me take care of some lady business.”

  I didn’t look at Rhys as I made my way down the hall to his bathroom. I splashed cold water on my face and patted it dry with a towel. Then I drank a cup of water, took care of business, and washed my hands.

  I stared at my reflection. I looked haggard. Like I’d been through a shitstorm. I guessed I had. The last couple of weeks had been hell, and the wear and tear was finally starting to show.

  I sighed and braced myself against the counter. “Pull yourself together, Quinn. You’re fine. You’re safe now.”

  My stomach rolled. I’d been out of sorts since locking myself in that damn safe. It had brought back a torrent of old fears that I thought I had long since put to bed. Apparently, I was wrong.

  I hated that confined spaces still scared me. I didn’t scare easily. In fact, I hardly scared at all. I was tougher than nails, and I knew that about myself. I’d never backed down from anyone in my entire life—except for fucking Kyle. He’d done a number on me.

  I patted my cheeks to bring some color into them. Now that I didn’t look so pale and weak, I left the bathroom. Aiden was coming back into the living room at the same time with a cup of coffee in a dark blue mug. He wrapped one arm around me in a great big bear hug and then pressed the mug into my hands.

  “Thank you,” I said, curling my fingers around it and trying to soak up the warmth. I sat down on the sofa opposite them and crossed my legs under myself as I took my first sip of coffee.

  “How are you feeling?” Rhys asked. His eyes flicked back and forth between mine. He was analyzing me, like he always did whenever I “went through something”. He was worried for me. I appreciated that, but I didn’t want it. I could handle this on my own.

  “I’m fine,” I said, forcing a smile.

  He didn’t buy it. I could tell by the dark look in his eyes. But he let it go.

  “What were you guys talking about?” I asked.

  Aiden and Rhys exchanged a look. “Nothing,” Rhys said.

  “Oh? And that’s why you were crowded together like gossiping school girls? You were talking about nothing?”

  “Yep,” Rhys said flatly.

  I leaned forward and put my mug down on his glass coffee table. Then I pressed a hand down on each of my knees and glared at both of them, putting on my best mean girl face. I’d locked myself in a safe for five minutes. I could do anything now. “You’re lying to me.”

  “It’s nothing you have to worry about, Quinn,” Rhys said. I might have been mistaken, but his voice seemed to have a pleading tone to it.

  I didn’t give a damn. “Cut the shit, Rhys. I’m not stupid. You two are planning something, aren’t you?”

  Aiden looked at Rhys, who stared evenly back at me.

  I held his gaze. “Aren’t you?” I repeated. This time, my tone was harsh. Angry.

  Rhys sighed and scratched his jaw. He looked tired—more tired than I’d ever seen him. His brow and lip were scabbing over. The bruising around his throat looked better than it did yesterday, which was good, but he still wasn’t firing on all cylinders. He still didn’t say anything.

  “I’m done playing games with you,” I said. “I’m done sitting back and being kept in the dark. My brother is dead. His hold over me died with him. I can make my own decisions, and I’m really fucking sick and tired of you guys thinking differently. It’s time you start treating me as my own person, rather than just as Max’s little sister.”

  Aiden lifted his gaze to meet mine. “I’m with her, Rhys. She’s right.”

  Rhys clenched his jaw.

  I looked at the ceiling, searching for restraint. I was frustrated and tired of having the same conversation over and over and getting the same results. It was like talking to a brick wall. I met Rhys’s gaze. “What do I have to do to get you to see me? To really see me?”

  Rhys looked away.

  “Well,” Aiden said, putting his hands on his knees and pushing himself to his feet. “I’m out. I think you two kids can handle this one on your own, right?” He closed his hand over Rhys’s shoulder, gave it a squeeze, and walked out of the living room to disappear through the door to the garage.

  I stared at Rhys, but he refused to look at me. In fact, he looked everywhere but at me.

  “Rhys,” I said.

  “What?”

  “Can we not just have a normal conversation?”

  He opened his mouth to speak but slapped it back closed when the bedroom door opened again and Nancy came out. I straightened up and grabbed my coffee, trying to regain my composure. I took a drink as she came and sat beside me. She had her pajamas on and looked half asleep.

  “Morning, guys,” she said thickly.

  “Morning,” Rhys and I said at the same time.

  Apparently, Nancy was too tired to pick up on the thick layer of tension hovering in the air. “How’d you sleep, Quinn? Rhys, that bed is pretty comfy. Better than the one I have at home.”

  “Thanks,” he said lamely.

  She inched closer to the edge of the sofa. “I meant to ask you about this new crew of yours while we were on the road. You mentioned a guy named Ryder?”

  Rhys blinked at her. “Yeah.”

  “What’s he like?”

  I groaned. “Nancy.”

  “What?” she asked, looking back and forth between us. A pleasant smile curved her lips. Nancy was always the sort to try to make everyone feel comfortable and get conversation going. She was bad with silence.

  Rhys rubbed his forehead. “Ryder’s a good guy. You’d probably like him.”

  The front door opened. I thanked my lucky stars when Owen walked in. He smiled broadly when he saw the three of us. “Well, hello there, ladies.”

  “Hi, Owen,” Nancy said cheerfully.

  I lifted my coffee mug in way of greeting.

  He folded his arms across his thick chest and smirked. “You look like you slept well.”

  “Is that a compliment?” I asked.

  Owen grinned. “Of course it is, Quinny.”

  I scowled at him. He’d always called me Quinny. I hated it when I was young, and I hated it now.

  Owen waggled his eyebrows at Nancy. “Hey, you want to get out of here and grab a bite to eat? I’m sure these two have things to talk about.”

  “Oh,” Nancy said innocently. She looked at me. “Were you guys in the middle of something?”

  “No,” Rhys said.

  “Yes,” I amended, shooting him a dark look. “We were.”

  Nancy stood up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even notice. Yeah, food sounds good, Owen. Just let me get changed
into something a little more appropriate. Give me a minute?”

  “Sure thing.” He nodded as she slipped back into the guest room. Then he looked down at me and Rhys and cleared his throat. “Awkward.”

  “Fuck off,” Rhys growled.

  I sipped my coffee as Owen came and plopped down on the sofa beside me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders in a brotherly sort of way. “How you been, Quinny? I know things have been shitty the last couple of weeks. It’s going to get better.”

  “Thank you for your eternal optimism, Owen.”

  He chuckled. “Come on, don’t be like that. I thought we were cool, you and me?”

  I sighed. “We are cool. I’m sorry. I’m just in a mood.” I directed my last few words at Rhys, who rolled his eyes at me.

  Owen let his hand fall from my shoulders. “Well, I don’t envy you, man. She’s going to chew you up and spit you out. Don’t be too hard on him, Quinny. We want to keep him around a bit longer.”

  “Stop calling me Quinny.”

  “All right, shit, my bad,” Owen said, holding his hands up defensively as he backed away from the two of us.

  Nancy emerged from the guest room in a pair of jeans and a yellow sweater. “Ready?”

  Owen nodded and took her hand. Then he hurried to the front door, and they left without saying anything, leaving me and Rhys glaring at each other across the coffee table.

  Chapter 21

  Rhys

  Quinn crossed one leg over the other and leaned back into the sofa cushions. She folded her arms beneath her breasts, and all her criss-crossed limbs made her look like a folded-up human pretzel.

  A seriously pissed-off human pretzel.

  If she were able, I was sure she would have crossed her eyes to match the rest of her body language.

  I had no clue where to start. Was I supposed to apologize? If so, what exactly did I need to apologize for? For caring enough about her to keep her out of harm’s way? I knew her better than she knew herself. Revealing my plan to go after Kyle and his three blubbering idiots tonight would put her at risk. She’d want to come along. She’d want to get in on the beatdown that was coming their way.