Page 56 of Bound by Desire
“Nice to see you, too,” Rylie clips. “What doyouwant?”
“Told you I was short thismonth—”
“And I told you, I wasn’t givin’ you shit. Now you show up at myhouse?”
“After all that I did for you, you owe me,” the auntgrowlslow.
Rylie moves in front of me quickly, and Brewer gets by her side with a growl of his own. I really fucking likethatdog.
“Done for me? Are you fuckin’ kidding me? You did shit for me. I lived on the fuckin’ streets because you didn’t want anything to do with me. You hate me. You’ve told me time and time again. Hell, my mother liked everyone, but you. I told you last time you called to forget my number. Now you forget where I live. I don’t want to hear from you everagain.”
“How dare you say such things about my sister! Shelovedme!”
Rylie chuckles. “Yeah, she loved you, but she damn sure didn’t likeyourass.”
“Youungrateful—”
“Me? I’m ungrateful? You’re the one who took all of my parents’ money and squandereditaway.”
“I used it to take careofyou.”
“What, feeding me? Nope. Did that myself. Buyin’ me clothes? Nope. Did that myself, too. You haven’t done a damn thing for me my entire life. I had no choice but to go with you. Now I do, and I don’t want you in my life anymore.” The entire time, she keeps her voiceeerilycalm.
“You know who I am and what I can do,” the womanthreatens.
Personally, I thought the woman was full of shit, spouting crazy at Rylie. The way she said that, though, sends me onalert.
“And you know who I am. Don’t fuckin’ threaten me. I’llendyou.”
Rylie steps back from the door, slamming it, and then locking it. Brewer once again is at her side. She doesn’t meet my eyes as she moves to the living room and stands behind one of her chairs. She plants her fists in the soft cushion at the top while her head is bowed, looking at them. She has a slight tremble to her body, but it doesn’t come off as fear. No, it comes off as rage. Full-blownrage.
I totally get what she feels right now, so I decide my best bet is to let her have this moment. I toss my ass down on the couch, throw my arm over my eyes,andwait.
It doesn’ttakelong.
“That fuckin’ bitch. I need to burn her to the ground.” Rylie hits the chair once and breathes out. “Fuck, Ihateher.”
I don’t talk, just let her get whatever she needs out. This is what I would need, along with apunchingbag.
It takes her several beats before she blows out, “I’ll make breakfast.” Then she leaves me in thelivingroom.
* * *
“You really don’t needto move out, Deke,” Austyn says as I gather my bag of shit. I put most of it in a storage unit in town, not wanting shit to get stolen out of the back of my truck. I don’t have a lot, but still, what’s mine is mine. Come to find out the Ravage MC owns it, which issomethingnew.
“Need my ownspace.”
“I kinda like having you here,” she saysshyly.
“I’m stillaround.”
“You haven’t slept here in, like, fournights,Deke.”
Very true, because I’ve been at Rylie’s. But she doesn’t need toknowthat.
There is an insecurity in her eyes I don’t like. I also know, as much as she wants me to stay, Ican’t.
“Thanks, kid. You got your head screwed on straight after whathappened?”
