Page 55 of Rebel

“Ah, I see. You’ve been drinking it up with the girls and don’t want to drive intoxicated.”

“Yeah, that’s about the size of it,” I told him. Anxiety was twisting in my gut, making my palms sweat and my body a little shaky.

He immediately agreed. “I’ll take you but I’m going to take one of our vans. I don’t want Rebel on my ass for putting his old lady on the back of my bike. The brothers are possessive over their women, and I don’t wanna do anything to mess up my chances of getting patched into the Dark Slayers one day.”

I fidgeted with my purse, wishing he would get a move on. “That’s perfectly fine by me,” I murmured as I followed him out to the back patio. I already knew that was where they kept their vehicles.

He opened the passenger door and helped me into the van, clearly worried that I might be more intoxicated than I appeared. It was cold outside, making me wish I’d brought a coat instead of a light sweater. Eric got in, started the van up, and then flipped on the heater. He rubbed his hands together near one of the vents. I preferred to wrap my arms around my stomach and tuck my fingers under my arms because that vent was still blowing cold air.

He glanced up at me and asked, “I’m sorry about your home getting broken into. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have your office vandalized and then your home. Are you okay?”

“I’m really not. I’m stressed out, overwhelmed, and I really just want to crash out in my own bed.”

He froze for a second before saying, “The police released your home from being a crime scene real quick.”

I shrugged and told him, “I guess homes getting broken into are much more common than a place of business.” I was still a bit worried about having to go back home, and leading Eric to believe everything was okay was a shitty thing to do, but I couldn’t face up to Rebel coming back to the clubhouse and wanting us to do what we usually do at night after everything those club girls said. I needed time to think about the situation and decide what I was going to do about this. I wasn’t about to leave Rebel over this, but I might slow down our relationship a bit until I could be certain that his recent personality switch was genuine and not some form of love bombing. I mean, I didn’t think it was, but I couldn’t seem to stop second-guessing myself on this issue.

I suddenly realized that Eric had pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road. When I turned to him, he mumbled, “Youseemed so deep in thought I was beginning to think you might have fallen asleep.”

“No. I’ve just got a lot on my mind,” I told him.

“I know you didn’t ask for my opinion, but Rebel is a really good listener. I used to go to him when I first became a prospect to find out his opinion on situations I found weird. He would always make the time to talk to me and explain things in a way even a newbie could understand. Go to him and trust that he’ll do right by you, Miss Lacey.”

I gave him a tired smile. “Thanks for that bit of honesty, Eric. I really appreciate it.”

“Are you sure you’re okay about going home?”

I reluctantly admitted that I wasn’t. “No, but I want to rest my head on my own pillow and chill out. I know Rebel and your club officers think the two break-ins are related, but I think maybe our house was just a random event, not related to the office. I’m scared, but I doubt anyone is going to break in twice when they didn’t bother to take anything the first time.”

Eric looked concerned. “Look, I’m not gonna tell you how to live your life. However, if you feel comfortable going home, I’ll stay outside and make sure whoever broke in doesn’t show back up and catch you by surprise.”

I sighed. “You Slayers have a protective streak a mile wide.”

“It’s who we are, ma’am.”

“Well, I hate for you to waste an entire night out in the cold. How about you crash out on the sofa downstairs, and if it’s lookslike it’s going to be a clear night, you can shove off whenever you like?”

“That’s a mighty nice offer, but I can protect you better when I’m guarding the perimeter of your home from the outside. Plus, I don’t think Rebel would like the idea of me being in your home.”

By then, he was pulling into my parents’ driveway. “If you get cold and change your mind, we leave our spare key under the welcome mat.”

His expression turned shocked. “You shouldn’t do that. It’s not a wise move from a safety perspective.”

“We’ve been doing it for years, Eric.”

“Yeah, I get that. You know I’m gonna have to report this to Rebel, right?”

I shrugged and opened my door. “Do what you got to do there, Eric. I know you guys have your own code, and I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

He looked at me for a minute before giving me a genuine smile. “You’re a real nice lady. I see why Rebel is so taken with you.”

“Goodnight, Eric. Try to stay warm.”

“Will do, Miss Lacey. Rest easy knowing you will always be protected by our club.”

“Thanks for that,” I told him before heading into my house. It was still early evening, but my plan was to take a shower and drift off into a dreamless sleep as soon as humanly possible.

I took off my shoes at the door and padded my way up the stairs, choosing to ignore the mess I didn’t have time to clean up. I yawned as I opened my door. Some kind of safety-conscious instinct prompted me to lock the bedroom door behind me. I didn’t think too much of it and got in my shower. Being back in my childhood home was where I needed to be right now. When I stepped into the shower and felt the warm water flowing over my body, it warmed me from the inside out, and I finally felt myself relax.

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