“I—“
“Also don’t remember givin’ a fuck about your strongly worded suggestions. I’m takin’ my goddamn sled and goin’ by myself.”
She planted a hand under his cut and against the waffle-patterned dark gray thermal shirt he wore underneath it. The muscles under her fingers were so tense it was like touching a rock wall. “No, you aren’t.”
He shoved a finger in his right ear and wiggled it. “My hearin’ must be fucked up.”
“You heard me.”
He tilted his head back, stared up at the shed’s ceiling, barked out a single dry laugh, dropped his head back down, shook it, then tipped it the rest of the way down to her. His mouth opened, a hiss escaped, he snapped it shut again and stepped around her, heading to his Indian Dark Horse.
It was a sweet ride and a badass bike that she’d had the pleasure of straddling a couple of times, unlike its owner.
She decided to follow him.
He dropped his backpack on the concrete floor, then toed her own bag with his boot. “What’s this shit?”
“My stuff. It’s what I’ll need for the next few days.”
His nostrils flared as he stared at her backpack that seemed to be a lot fuller than his. Unlike him, she couldn’t wear the same underwear, socks and shirt for days at a time. She also used a lot more than a squirt of gel for her hair.
“For our trip,” she added. That came out a little weaker than she intended.
“Reilly, this ain’t our trip.”
She stiffened her spine, and lifted her invisible shield, prepared for battle. “It wasn’t, but it is now.”
“No, it ain’t.”
“Yes, it is. I understand why you don’t want Saylor to go. But someone should go with you.”
“And you think that someone is you.”
She lifted her chin even higher to let him know she wasn’t backing down. “I know it is.”
“No, Reilly.”
“Look, I know I’m maybe not the best choice for this, but I’m your only choice. Do you have someone better?”
“Yeah. No one.”
“I’m not going to let you go by yourself.”
“Reilly, ain’t up to you.”
She ignored that and pushed on. “So, you’re not taking your sled. We need to take your Bronco, instead.”
His brow furrowed and he did not hide the annoyance in his eyes. “Why the fuck would I drive my Bronco? Would cost me a fortune in fuel.”
“Since I need to go that direction, anyway, I figured we could split the cost.” Okay, that last part might be a bit of a fib. Even though the guys knew she liked to pay her own way, none of them would ever take money from her, so she was counting on that since she didn’t have much.
Normally, if she offered them money, they got insulted, cursed at her, turned their back on her and walked away, shaking their head. The same thing happened when she offered to pay a fair price for the used car Dutch sold her and the repairs it needed to be in tip-top running order. The garage owner just about bit her head off and took about half of what the car and the repairs were worth.
While she appreciated it, she also wanted to be independent. She’d been dependent on her sister for far too long. She had wanted to change that once she relocated to Manning Grove. It was time for her to be her own woman, to be responsible for her own decisions and her own mistakes. Especially after almost being killed by Billy Warren. So, that was what she set out to do.
He jerked his chin back and repeated, “You need to go that direction, anyway? Are you fuckin’ crazy, woman?”
She shook her head. “Crazy smart.” She tapped her temple. “Now that I have my own apartment, I need to get the rest of my stuff out of the storage unit. Reese has been paying for it this whole time and I can’t let her do that any longer. But I’m never moving back there, so there’s no point in keeping it. This is my home now.”
“So, go get your shit yourself. You got a cage now.”
“It’s not just the point of saving on gas, I really could use the help. Plus, all my stuff won’t fit in my car, anyhow. Think of it like this, I help you and you help me.”
“How the fuck you gonna help me?”
Besides being there for emotional support? She knew that answer wouldn’t fly. Instead, she said, “I’ll keep you company on the three and a half hour trip. If you want, I can sing. Or tell jokes. Or we can listen to one of my really hot audiobooks.”
“Or you can just be quiet the whole fuckin’ way.”
She smiled. “I’m not sure that’s possible.”
“Ain’t that the fuckin’ truth.”
The other truth was she was starting to win this conversation. Persistence was paying off. “So… that means we’re carpooling?”
“You’re somethin’ else,” he muttered, plugging his hands on his hips, dropping his head and staring at his boots.
“Thank you.”
He lifted his head. “Ain’t a compliment. You clear this with Reese and the rest?”
The rest. He meant Deacon and Judge.
She rolled her lips under.
“You’re gonna get my ass kicked, woman.”
“Nah,“ she scoffed.
“Right. Gonna be gone for as long as it takes,” he warned her.
She had already expected that. “I’m okay with however long it takes.”
She assumed his uncle wouldn’t have reached out unless Rev’s father was at the very end of his illness so it would give Rev the time and opportunity to see his father while still alive. She also assumed it was so Rev didn’t have any regrets afterward of not seeing his father one last time.
“What excuse d’you use? ‘Cause I didn’t see your cage parked out there. That means you hid it somewhere, didn’t you?”
The man was not dumb.
She shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Where?”
She gave him a look that he read clearly.
“Fuckin’ Ozzy. You told him you’re goin’ with me?”
“Nope. He didn’t ask or care.”
“Fuckin’ Ozzy. He shoulda asked.” He shook his head in disbelief. “So, what’d you tell the others, the ones who would care enough to beat me silly with a fuckin’ club?”
She gave him another look.
“Christ,” he muttered. “Spill it. Or I’m leavin’ you standin’ here and takin’ my sled without you. It better be a good fuckin’ story, too.”
It was actually pretty good, if she said so herself. “Well…”
He groaned. “You want me dead, right? That what you want?”
“I told Reese I was driving down to hang out in Philly for a few days with a couple of girlfriends from college. And, great friends that they are, they offered to help me clear out the storage unit while I was there.”
He stared at her for the longest time before mumbling, “You and a coupla other college girlfriends. Would like to see that.”
Of course that was the part he picked up on. “Girlfriends as in friends who have girl parts. Not girlfriends who squatted over my face while I licked their pussies.”
Rev groaned and turned away for a moment. Or two. When he finally turned back, his voice cracked when he asked, “And Dutch?”