Page 42 of Property of Chaos

“I’ve got to be careful,” I reason, gaze shifting past him to my cloth-bound journal. “You know why.”

A single nod as his touch drops away. Chaos takes a step back and runs a hand through his already-tousled hair. “That’s fair.” He rolls his lips, attention moving to the warm pot on the stove. “Save the rest for another night, babe. I’m out.” He glances at Murphy. “Later, cat.” And moves for the door.

“You don’t have to go.” I sound as pathetic as I feel.

Chaos pauses in the doorway, highlighted by the fading dusk light. “Yeah, I do.” Hand to the frame, he glances over his shoulder, smoldering gaze dragging the length of me. “If I stay in this house, I’m gonna end up doing things you aren’t ready for, and then you’re gonna hate me.” He smiles sadly, shaking his head. “I ain’t ready for that, either.”

SIXTEEN

CHAOS

The motherfucker managesto sneak up on me before I’m ready, lamplight swinging in the cool night air. It shouldn’t come as a surprise; everyone knows Amish don’t drive, and yet, in my head, I’d imagined a noisy little carriage rattling down the road, the horse’s gear jingling as it moved.

Instead, I get Andy wandering over from where he’s hitched his horse to a fencepost, yellow light from the lamp in his hand illuminating his baggy denim jeans and plain button-down.

“Strange place for a man to meet,” he remarks, head turning to follow my line of sight across the road to the cottage.

I push to my feet and dust my ass off before offering my hand. “Thanks for coming anyway.”

“Do I ask why?” He hitches an eyebrow at the house.

His horse blows out a shaky breath.

“Nope.” I tug out my smokes and lift them for him to see. “Do you mind?”

“Not if you give me one as well.” He splits a cheeky grin.

“Living dangerously, ain’t you?”

Andy shrugs. “The older men don’t like it, but it’s not strictly forbidden.” The guy plucks himself a stick.

I light his, then follow suit with my own. “You’ll have to excuse my bluntness,” I say. “But you seem pretty fuckin’ friendly for a man who was wronged by my club.”

Yeah, I did my homework after church. Pulled Fang aside once I’d managed to calm my shit and demanded a name. Stopped off on my way to Vanessa’s and faced two shotguns pointed at my head before I managed to wave my white flag and ask to speak to the man concerned: Andy.

His gaze flickers over the patches on my cut before he sighs. “No point poisoning the future with wrongs of the past, is there?”

“Noble way to look at it.” I lift an eyebrow.

“It was rumspringa,” he says with a sigh. “She made her choice. She paid the price.”

“Yeah?”

“Shunned,” he states while holding the smoke in his lungs. “Two weeks.”

“Ouch.”

“She’s over it. Married now. First child due in two months.”

“Nice.”

“Yeah.” He ducks his head. “We’re all excited. First grandchild for my parents. First niece or nephew for me.”

I tip my cigarette toward him. “What about you? No kids?”

“Not yet.” Hurt flashes across his gaze before he lifts his head and pins me with a no-nonsense stare. “What is it you want from us?”

I twist right and gesture to the farm behind me. “Need a barn built on our new property.”

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