Page 73 of Dozer

Clichés of love and sex filtered through my mind.Love will set you free. Love conquers all.Fuck those thoughts. Love dug it’s talons in deep, overwhelmed, and shattered my security.

Now that he’d cracked enough to let me in, I wanted more. I was his but wasn’t sure if he was mine.

A little before noon, I opened up the door to the garage and groaned. Not only was my Audi sad and busted from the encounter with the curb, but she had two flat tires.

“Shit.”

Releasing an exasperated sigh, I leaned against the doorjamb. Hana still hadn’t returned my text.

I stared at Dozer’s number, but I couldn’t do it. “This is crazy,” I said to myself and pulled up the number to my new best friend.

Levi answered on the first ring.

“I need a favor.”

Twenty minutes later, I sat in the front seat of Levi’s car, my heart racing, and a loaded gun in my purse.

“Thanks,” I said as we drove across town to Vance’s house.

She turned to me and smiled. “You know, it’s getting harder to hate you.”

“Give it time. I’m sure I’ll do something to make you mad.” Like fall in love with her best friend.

Jealousy warmed in my belly as I remembered the way she looked curled into Dozer on his bed in the MC. He always stood protectively near her, had his arm around her, and whispered to her.

“What is your problem?” she said and laughed. “I say I don’t hate you, and you look like you’re pissed about it.”

I wanted to ask her how close she and Dozer had been, but I didn’t need to. I’d seen how close they were.

“Do you want to talk about Coop?” she asked.

“Sure.” Better than talking about Dozer.

“He asked me out again.”

I laughed. “Is that why you’re trying not to hate me? Don’t worry. I have no interest in Greyson Cooper.”

“I just meant that I like him, but I know he is at your house all the time with Diego.”

“Not my house. My parents’ house. And yes, if he’s not at school, he’s with Diego. And if the party is at the toolshed, Diego is there. Levi, I don’t need to warn you off Coop. He’s a good guy, but he’s a Romeo. Girls just like him. That he’s the varsity running back for the football team means he’s surrounded by jersey chasers.”

“But Romeo changed for you.”

I snorted. “One day Romeo might change for a girl, but not this girl.”

Levi pulled into the driveway.

“Do you want to come in and say hi?” I asked her.

“No, I need to go. I’m heading over to the MC.”

Where she’d see Dozer. My heart hiccupped.

“How are you getting home?” she asked.

I shrugged and scooted out of the car. “I’ll figure it out. Thanks for the ride.”

Levi waved as she drove off. I walked up the driveway and around to the back of the house. Gabi sat on the outdoor loveseat reading on her phone. I slumped down next to her and set my purse, with the loaded gun, on the table in front of us.

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