Page 20 of Redeeming Rabbit

“Good. I’d like to discuss that with you after my shower. If you decide not to stick around, please lock the door before you go.”

Turning on my heel, I left the door open and headed for my room.

9

Rabbit

Sliding my foot across the threshold to keep Elenore’s apartment door from closing, I stared at the hidden camera. I could almost feel Morse watching me. The bastard was probably laughing his ass off. “What the fuck do I do?” I mouthed.

My cell phone rang. I dug it out of my pocket and answered.

“What do you do?” he asked, his tone disbelieving. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but from here, it looked like a gorgeous woman just invited you into her apartment.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“Christ, Rabbit, I don’t know. Maybe follow her in there?”

“She wants to talk about brake tampering.”

“Cars. A subject you’re interested in. Still don’t see the problem.”

I opened my mouth to inform him Elenore had expressed an interest in murdering Matt but fuck that. I was no snitch. If she wanted to off that wife-beating bastard, I wouldn’t stand in her way. Who was I to judge? Hell, I might just help her. Between the two of us, I bet we could even figure out a way to delay the destruction and make the whole thing look like an accident.

My conscience tugged at me, but I ignored that meddlesome fucker and focused on the real reason I shouldn’t walk through her door.

“She’s too good for me, all right?” I glared at the camera, pissed that he’d made me admit the truth out loud. “Is that what you want to hear, asshole? ’Cuz there it is. I know I’m not supposed to care about that shit. Let loose and live for the night, right? Get mine and get out? Here for a good time, but not a long time, right?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that if it’s what you want. Just be honest with her.”

“But it’s not what I want. One night with that woman won’t be enough.”

“Then… I don’t know. Maybe take her on a couple dates. See where it goes. Jesus, Rabbit, lots of women are into that shit.”

I laughed, but there was no humor in the sound, and I gestured to encompass the mess that I was. “Look at me. Do you honestly think a woman like Elenore will want to date this? Where would I even take her? A fancy, five-star restaurant? The orchestra? Yeah, I bet they’d totally let my ass in.”

“You sound like a whiny little bitch. If you really want to be with the woman, stop making up excuses and figure your shit out. God, man, just be real with her. Show her who you are and let her decide if she can handle your damage.”

He didn’t know what a giant ask that was. Crowds, stress, people talking shit… just thinking about it made spots dance at the edges of my vision. “She deserves better.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Rabbit, get off the cross. We need the wood. Besides, circumstances have given you an opportunity most men only dream about. It’s obvious you got a thing for her, and for whatever reason, she seems oddly interested in you. The way I see it, you have two options. Keep being a dumbass and walk away or grow some goddamn balls and get your ass in there.”

“I’m only here to protect her. It’s not like she’s offering me her body.”

“You don’t know what the fuck she’s offering because you’re still. Standing. In. The. Hallway.” Morse’s tone was angry as he punctuated each word. “Shit or get off the pot, but I gotta go. I have work to do.”

The line went dead.

I stared at my phone in disbelief. What was with people hanging up on me today? I raised my middle finger to the camera and grinned, hoping I looked every bit as unhinged as I felt. The bastard had called me a coward. He’d thrown down the gauntlet, and now I had to pick it up and shove it down his goddamn throat.

“Fuck you, Morse,” I growled through gritted teeth, adding a second middle finger for good measure.

I slid through the door, locking it behind me, toed my boots off, and wandered down the hall. The soft, fresh scent of her home enveloped me, easing the tension from my shoulders. It reminded me of clean laundry and sunshine, making me want to grab a beer, kick my feet up, and relax. I glanced at her sofa, knowing I should sit and wait for my host, but I’d never been much for holding still. Besides, I’d already seen her living room, and there was an entire apartment to explore.

Feeling curious as fuck, I drifted down the hall, finding the spare bedroom, a bathroom, a utility closet, and then finally, Elenore’s suite. The condo was nice and uncharacteristically large for Seattle. One-bedroom shacks rented for two grand a month in this neighborhood, so she must have paid a fortune for this place. I made good money as a mechanic but didn’t give two shits about square footage and luxury. Living at the station was safe. The rent was reasonable, allowing me to stack my checking account and funnel the rest back into the club through anonymous donations. Not because I was altruistic or anything, but because I ate a lot. There was no way the room and board rate covered my expenses, and if the club went under, plenty of us would be up shit creek without a paddle. My brothers were stand-up guys who didn’t deserve to lose their homes and livelihoods due to lack of funding.

Unlike me, who was standing in Elenore’s bedroom sniffing around for clues about the woman to satisfy my curiosity while she showered in the attached bathroom, oblivious to my invasion of her privacy.

Naked and sudsy.

---