Page 55 of July 27

Turning her phone over, she tried to ignore the memories of the men threatening her. They couldn't kill her brother now. They were all dead.

While her brother had done bad things, he'd gone to prison. He'd paid for his crimes. Well, some of his crimes.

She picked up her cell and tried to call her brother's last phone number she had memorized but of course, the call wouldn't go through. Groaning in frustration, she had no way to contact him.

Checking the time, she stood from the couch. Ruger would be away for hours. She opened the Uber app. If she hurried, she could go home, talk to Shady, and return before Ruger returned.

Blowing her hair out of her eyes, she instantly shot down that idea. Ruger wouldn't want her going anywhere without him knowing.

She hated to call him when he was riding with the club. But if she wanted to check on her brother, she'd need to interrupt Ruger.

The call went to voicemail. She hesitated, hearing the digital voice. A message was better than nothing.

"Hey, it's me." She shoved her feet into her sneakers. "I'm going to take an Uber and go see my brother. I'll be quick. I should be home before you." She hesitated before saying goodbye. "I'll talk to you when I get home."

Home was the cottage. Home was with Ruger.

She disconnected the call, got money out of the bedroom, put fresh water out for Knight, and left the kitty with a kiss. Then, she walked outside to wait for her ride.

Less than ten minutes later, a small sedan pulled up. She double-checked the information on the phone, and the driver matched the photo.

She got in the back seat and confirmed the address. Rubbing her thighs, she tried to shake the nerves. She should've told her brother more about the kidnapping when he got out of prison. Instead, she was angry at him. All she could focus on was finding a way to Ruger.

The danger toward Shady was probably no longer valid, considering Ruger killed the men who'd kidnapped her, but she wouldn't be able to rest if her brother was in danger and she hadn't warned him.

She might not agree with Shady's actions or treatment of her, but he was the only family she had left.

A small part of her also wanted him to know precisely what her kidnapping had done to her. She would no longer feel completely safe anywhere. No matter if there was nobody after her. The thought of having to repeat the beatings left scars on her body and in her mind.

Shady was responsible for what happened to her and Ruger. He'd suffered, and he'd have to live the rest of his life with the fact that he killed four men because of her. She never received an apology or concern from Shady since he returned because he was too busy hanging with his boys, partying, and celebrating his release from prison.

Shady needed to know how his life could go from good to bad in a split second if he screwed over the wrong people. It might not be her they hurt next time. It could be him.

She looked at her phone again. Ruger still hadn't called her back. He must be riding. The vibrations from the Harley alone were enough to mute the vibration from the phone call.

The man in the driver's seat never spoke a word during the entire trip, which was fine with Rachel. She had time to sort out her thoughts and how to approach her brother. She wanted to keep the visit short and sweet—as sweet as she could get in when she talked about people threatening to murder her brother.

A mile from her childhood home, she called Ruger again. The voicemail came on. Not wanting to talk in front of the driver, she hung up. She'd already left a message. Ruger would hear it when he had time.

After being dropped off at the curb, she walked up to the house. Her brother's car was parked on the street in front of the house, but that often meant Corbin or someone else picked him up.

She walked up to the door and turned the doorknob. It was unlocked.

A shiver rolled over her spine. She looked behind her. Shady always locked the door when he was at home. If he wasn't already in hiding, he would be paranoid about people trying to find him.

She peeked inside. Steven sat at the table. She stepped inside, not even gaining his attention. She scanned the room. Corbin was asleep in her dad's old recliner, but there was no sign of Shady.

"Where's my brother?" she asked.

Steven flinched, grabbed all the sandwich bags in front of him, and shoved them into his coat pockets. Her upper lip twitched. There was no reason to wear a coat in July, except if you're trying to hide something.

"He ran to, uh, to the store." Steven stood up and walked over to the recliner, kicking Corbin's foot. "Get up, brah."

Corbin kicked out, missing Steven. "I'm not going anywhere until Shady's back, man."

"Where is my brother?" she asked again.

"Rachel?" Corbin lifted his head, squinting at her. "What are you doing here?"

---