Page 40 of Fighting a Riot

They took their food outside to eat in the setting sun. Yak waited until Nora swallowed her first bite of a crunchy taco. “Where’s Evan in all this? Does he know what the scumbag did to you?”

She frowned. “He’s on an aircraft carrier. I texted him to change his leave, and Mom said she’d get word to him. But I think it’s too late for him to change things. So… he’ll probably be around sometime next week too.”

He nodded and popped the last bite of his first taco in his mouth.

Nora set down her souvenir cup. “I’ll introduce you to him when he’s here. You’d like him.”

He shook his head. “Nah. I’m gonna stay at the clubhouse that week. Stay out of your hair that way. In fact, all of you could stay in the main house if you want. Make things easier on you.”

Her gaze lowered to the concrete table and she pressed her lips together. He thought his offer would help.

Finally she looked up at him. “Much as I appreciate that, Yak, I’m having my surgery that week. I’ll be in the hospital for one night at least. Once I’m home, I’d rather be in my bed. But that’s an extremely kind offer.”

He shook his head. “That seems pretty fast.”

“Yeah, well, cancer can spread and my doctor wants to get rid of it as quick as we can. Based on my scans and the fact my mom had a similar experience, he thinks there’s a good chance being aggressive will work.”

And there it was. The reason he had to keep his distance. She needed her family rallied around her, not concerned about the rough biker next door who runs a strip club.

“You seem angry,” she whispered.

He stared into her green eyes. “Not at you, Nora. Cancer always pisses me off since both my parents died from it, within eighteen months of each other.”

She held a forkful of black beans half-way to her mouth. “Are you serious? I remember you saying your parents went through treatments, but… God, within a year and a half of each other. That’s freaking brutal.”

“Yeah, it was. But I survived that and the fucking foster care system.” Hearing the words from his mouth, he closed his eyes for a moment. “Sorry. I hadn’t meant to take us down this path.”

The truth was, something about Nora put him at ease and he shared shit he didn’t tell anybody. Yet another reason he wanted to distance himself.

A zoo employee with a broom and dustpan wandered up to their table. “Not to rush you or anything, but the zoo closes in forty-five minutes. If you plan to take the train, the last one leaves in fifteen minutes.”

Yak nodded. “Thanks for the heads-up. We’re almost done.”

“What’s your favorite animal here?” Nora asked.

He shook his head. “I don’t have one.”

“You can’t fool me with your lies, Noah. Everyone has a favorite.”

“What’s yours then?”

She grinned. “The ostrich.”

He laughed. “You’re shitting me right?”

“Why would I be shitting you?”

“It’s my favorite too.”

“You are lying just to get me off your back.”

He chuckled. “Nope. They’re accused of putting their heads in the sand, though that’s more a myth than anything. They’re tall like me, aggressive to a fault, and even if they can’t fly, they can haul ass up to like thirty miles an hour.”

“Thirty-five, and forty-three if they sprint,” she said.

He finished his soda. “Right. And they look fuckin’ hysterical when they run and I’m all about a good laugh.”

“Well, if they weren’t on the opposite end of the property, I’d say we should pay them a visit.”

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