Page 66 of May 11

"Yep." Rush sat on the edge of the table and removed a joint from his pocket. "Party on Friday in his honor."

Wire stood, needing to get on with his day. He had appointments Cora set up. If he hung around too long, it'd throw off his schedule, and he'd be late to pick her up after work. Tomorrow, it wouldn't matter. She'd be able to come and go as she wished without him.

He was a selfish asshole.

He rather liked it when she depended on him.

Walking out of the building, he headed toward his truck. It was time to work.

Club business would take a back seat. Cora was safe at Whale's Tail. He had two weeks to prepare for Jeff Albright's arrival.

Chapter Thirty

THE WAVES ROLLED IN, growing closer to the blanket. Protected from the wind and cradled between Wire's legs, Cora held the edges of the blanket in front of her. The wind near the water was colder than it was at the house.

"Do you think the waves will reach us?" She sat with her legs crossed and her back leaning against Wire's chest.

"Nah. The tide will shift before it reaches us." He strummed her nipple.

"The water is different here than it is back home." She shivered. "I don't want to swim in the ocean—too dark and cold."

"Yeah. I agree with you." He stopped paying attention to her breasts and wrapped his arms around her ribs. "I need to talk to you."

"I need to talk to you, too." She looked over her shoulder. "You go first."

"Turn a bit, babe." He straightened his knee and pulled her leg over his thigh. "I want you to listen until I'm finished."

"Okay." She found his hand and gathered it in her grasp.

She knew something was going on. Despite his idea of relaxing at the beach, he wasn't his usual self. He talked less and seemed more content to sit and hold her.

It made her nervous because she was aware of the time. Only one month left until her job at Whale's Tail was over.

He'd expressed his desire to have her live with him, and she wanted to know if he still wanted that to happen. Then, she needed to figure out how to be with him while searching for her brother.

There was so much for her to do it overwhelmed her. She still needed to return to California and decide what to do with her parents' estate.

She hadn't received any help from Havlin Motorcycle Club regarding finding her brother. But she knew where the mother chapter was located on the map. She could be there in a few hours. Maybe she could take day trips, searching for Jeff, during the week while Wire worked. That way, they could be together on the weekends.

Her chest grew heavy. The thought of being away from him made her sick to her stomach. Even working eight hours seemed too long to be apart.

"Jagger contacted your brother, babe," he said softly. "You were right. The man in the picture is Jeff from years ago."

She sat up straighter, unable to believe she heard him right. "He's—?"

"Sh." He put his finger on her lips, keeping her quiet. "You need to know things about him before you get too excited."

"What?" Her heart thrummed. "I've found him. How could I not be excited? This is the best news I've ever received."

He stilled, meeting her gaze. She closed her mouth. It was hard not to ask a million questions. She'd waited her whole life to meet her brother, and this was the closest she'd gotten to finding him.

"His life has been different than yours." Wire caressed her cheek. "He's spent time in prison."

She flinched, frowning at the news. If he had problems or needed money, all he had to do was come home. Their parents would've helped him. She would've helped him.

"He's only been out a couple of years," Wire added.

"What was he arrested for?"

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