Page 29 of Just Heartbeats
Cruz flipped them both off but never argued the point. If he hadn't seen the two of them install a two-twenty wire before, he never would've had them do the job. But at the end of the day, they'd get it done, and he could move the mig welder.
Kodiak folded his arms, watching them for a beat before getting to the point. "I'm heading out for a few hours."
Baker blinked. "You?"
"Yeah."
"Since when doyoutake a day off?"
Kodiak ignored the jab. "Roma's coming with me."
Cruz leaned back, one brow raised. "You taking her out for work?"
"No," Kodiak said flatly.
Baker looked between them, slower to speak. "Everything cool?"
Kodiak didn't answer right away. Roma had no idea how much it would affect them if the others discovered he was messing around with Chopper's daughter. It didn't matter that Chopper was gone. Once a brother, always a brother.
He heard the different tone in Baker's question and the way Cruz's smirk faded into something more serious.
"I need air." Kodiak met their gaze. "So does she."
Baker gave a slow nod. "You two good?"
"Yep."
"Alright." Baker smacked him in the chest. "Will your phone be on?"
"Yeah. I'll be reachable."
"You want backup—"
"No," Kodiak said, sharper than intended. Then, quieter, "I'm not going after trouble. I need to breathe for a few hours."
Neither of them pushed for more answers. They knew the pressure he was under. They'd seen it all.
Cruz went back to the electrical panel, muttering under his breath about frying circuits and bad decisions. Baker watched Kodiak for a second longer.
"That girl deserves good things," he said.
"I'm not the one who needs to hear that," Kodiak replied.
Baker gave him a short, understanding nod, then let it go. Kodiak turned and headed back toward the garage.
He couldn't explain what made him change his plans for the day. Maybe the way Roma cried over her father without apology last night made him realize she hadn't had time to accept that he'd killed a man. Maybe when he interrupted her time with the vibrator, she still needed space to understand what happened. Maybe he was inviting her for a ride because she hadn't asked anything of him. She'd sat with him last night, while they both had Chopper on their mind.
He'd held her for a long time, until the tension left her body in slow, shaking waves. Until the silence between them stopped feeling dangerous and started feeling necessary. It wasn't until the rain started that he found himself reluctant to let her go—but he had.
That comfort he got from her only made him want to spend more time with her. So, when she walked into the garage and sat behind the desk looking prettier than a recently washed Harley in the sunshine, he didn't pretend not to look.
He wiped his hands on a rag and nodded toward the street. "Come for a ride."
Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Yeah?"
He jerked his chin toward the row of bikes. "Not too far. I need to get out of here for a bit."
"What about work?"
