Page 25 of Dozer

“Rule two,” she said. “When my favorite song comes on, even bloody, brooding assholes have to dance.”

Who was I to argue the rules? I had Pippa’s number in my phone, and her best friend all but confirmed I was her secret. I followed her into the middle of the room to dance among the tables.

Pippa

A crash sounded. My eyes snapped open. Breath froze. I held perfectly still, listening. Blood roared through my ears. Panic tasted bitter in my mouth. I scrambled from the bed and grabbed the baseball bat from just inside my closet.

Holy shit. I tried to take a breath, but my lungs wouldn’t expand. This sucked—the rush of anxiety, the blur of thoughts, and the flush of heat.

I pressed my back against the wall. The silent alarm would trigger an alert, Gabi would see the cameras, and the police would be here in time to collect my body.

“Fuck. Shit.” The light in the kitchen turned on. Light seeped from beneath the edge of the door.

Burglars, murderers, and thugs didn’t crash into tables and turn on the lights.

I hung onto the bat and threw open the door. I knew a certain Heller who considered breaking and entering the same as ringing the doorbell.

Dozer stumbled into my kitchen from the garage, glanced at me, and stilled.

“I don’t think I can take another beating,” he said.

“Why didn’t you knock on the door?”

“Because it’s late. I didn’t want to wake you up.”

I could drive cars through the holes in his logic. “Scaring me awake is much better.”

I ran my fingers through my hair, pushing my bangs from my face. My pulse slipped into a pace that might win marathons but wouldn’t cause my death.

“What are you doing here besides bleeding on the floor?”

He climbed onto a chair. Blood trickled along his forearm from a gash. I grabbed a tea towel and handed it to him.

“I’ll replace your window tomorrow. I broke it forcing it open.”

My phone chirped from my bedroom. “Wait here. Wave to the camera,” I said as I walked to my room.

“Does he have a problem with doors?” Gabriella asked as soon as I answered.

“Sorry. Did we wake you?” I walked back to the kitchen while I spoke to her.

“Yes, and Vance who is ready to clobber Dozer except it looks like someone has already beaten the crap out of him.”

I could hear Vance grumbling in the background about the time. “Tell him I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to him by not making anything to eat for the shower this weekend.”

Gabriella relayed my words to him. “You’re forgiven. Tell Dozer to use the door.”

I hung up and set the phone on the table.

Dozer checked to see if the bleeding had stopped.

“Why are you here, Dozer? I’m not a Heller hook up. If you want to get laid, get on Tinder.”

He braced his elbows on his knees and rubbed blood from his knuckles. “I wouldn’t expect you to be in Romeo’s bed this afternoon and mine tonight.”

“I wasn’t in Romeo’s bed this afternoon. Not for sex anyway. We went to his room for privacy to talk. The chapel was packed. Pike was hurt. I’d just arrived at the clubhouse on your bike, saw Romeo with Levi,and I could see the hurt on her face, and I was drowning in guilt because I’d used his body to fuck you. Sorry if I didn’t want to have my confessions to Romeo in front of the chapel.”

“Christ.” He rubbed his hands over his head.

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