Page 30 of Rebel

“I get the point that a new relationship is stronger than sum of its parts. That makes perfect sense to me. Thanks for explaining all that to me. Maybe Rebel and I could get away for a weekend and spend some one-on-one time getting to know each other better. We seem to do better when it’s just the two of us.”

Zoe took a sip of her drink. “Maybe there’s hope for you yet, my friend. Rebel can be exasperating at times, but I’ve only ever heard good things about him. The brothers wouldn’t have voted him in if he was deficient in any way.”

“That’s reassuring, but my gut tells me he’s honest and devoted to the things and people he cares about. He even volunteered to take my dad to his doctor’s appointment in a sidecar because we were having a hard time getting him to agree to go.”

Zoe’s expression morphed into one of approval. “Did it work? Did your dad jump at the chance to ride in a sidecar?”

“Of course. It’s all he talked about all weekend. He has a big interest in World War II and has always wanted to ride in one, so the problem was solved when it came to getting him to his medical appointments.”

“Rebel really has a good heart,” Zoe commented before digging back into her lunch.

Yeah, he does, I thought to myself as I started eating. Even though we spent the rest of lunch circling back around to the break in at the office, my mind kept drifting back to the disagreement I had with Rebel, and I hoped that I hadn’t totally messed things up between us.

Chapter 12

Rebel

For three days, I didn’t talk to Lacey. The office was closed, so I picked my jobs off the online calendar and spent my free time working with Hacker to try and figure out who broke in. It had been slow going, but I was sure Lacey was expecting me to figure this out as her protector. Trying to rush her into my property cut, even temporarily, had been a gigantic mistake. I could see that now. She wasn’t ready for a relationship with me. That meant I needed to slow things way the fuck down.

Today was Wednesday, the day of her father’s appointment. I borrowed Mace’s sidecar, the one he used to transport his gigantic wolfdog around in. Naturally, I took the time to clean it out thoroughly, so Mr. Livingstone wouldn’t end up with pet hair all over his nice clothing and stinking of sweaty dog. He was waiting patiently on the front porch when I pulled up. I liked the way his eyes lit up, much like mine had the first time I’d ever ridden in a sidecar.

His wife was at his side when I walked up the front steps. Lacey stepped out of the front door when she heard the throaty roar of my motorcycle. Her expression was a bit anxious and unsure. “I didn’t know if you were still up for taking my dad on a ride today.”

“Of course. If I say I’m gonna do something, I always follow through. You should know that by now.”

She nodded, her eyes moving from me to her father and back again. “You know where you’re going, right?”

“Yes, I got your text.” Turning to his wife, I clarified, “You’re gonna meet us there, right?”

“Yes. I’m going to leave first, so I’ll be waiting when the two of you arrive.”

Bringing my wrist up, I looked at my watch, and said, “You’d best get going if we’re going to get there in time for his appointment.”

“Yes, of course,” she murmured and gave her husband a quick kiss.

After her mother had driven off, Lacey’s father walked out to examine the sidecar, leaving me and Lacey standing on the porch.

“You and I need to talk about the investigation into the office break-in,” I told her as we both watched her father walk around the sidecar looking appreciatively at it.

“Yeah, Zoe and I have come up with a whole theory about who did it and why.”

My head snapped around to look at her. “You and Zoe are doing your own investigation?”

“Well yeah. It’s my business. The police are useless. If I want justice, I have to get it for myself.”

“Did you forget I told you I would look into it?” I asked, trying my best to keep the irritation out of my voice.

“Yeah, but you haven’t been talking to me for days. So, I didn’t know what to think.”

Glancing away, I told her, “I thought you needed some space. And I’ve been spending all my time working and investigating the break-in.”

Her expression turned hopeful. “Maybe we could get together and compare notes?”

“Yeah, sure. That would be fine. Just let me know where and when. I gotta go, if I’m gonna get your old man to his appointment on time.”

When I walked up to my bike and helped her father into the sidecar, he grabbed the helmet enthusiastically. He didn’t waste any time putting it on correctly. He must have seen my look of surprise because he tapped the side of the helmet and said, “Just like I wore back in the day as a fighter pilot, only without the oxygen mask.”

My eyebrows flew up in surprise. “Didn’t know you were a veteran too.”

---