Page 31 of Bear (Rebel Saints MC 6)

“Why are you so upset? It’s okay. Rocky is a dirty bastard, he doesn’t deserve his share. Take a chill pill.”

“You have a Mexican cartel handled? You don’t! They could kill you.” His light-hearted laugh that day made me livid. I wanted my brother to live, but he refused to see my point of view.

Angie studied me carefully. “Hello? Did I trigger a memory? I’m sorry. That was insensitive of me, you’re at work. I’ll back off. I want to win this. I want you to feel safe, and put Rocky behind bars.”

I knew she was trying her very best to help me. “I believe you, but I’m not going to lie. It’s hard to deal with.”

Angie nodded as her lips pressed tightly together. She held up the notepad and flapped it. “Got what I need. I will add it to the list. Stay strong, Delphia. I will keep you posted, okay?”

Angie didn’t strike me as the type who was too deep with her emotions, but she was a good person, and I felt like she could help me. “Thanks, Angie.” I sighed.

She held up the pad again, as her golden hair swung from side to side out the front door.

Blowing out a shaky breath, I waited for time to pass. Bear was picking me up and his face was the only one I wanted to see. Time dragged until I heard his motorcycle arrive a couple of hours later.

I was standing on the outside of the gas station as he rode in.

“You’re outside? You should have stayed inside until I came in and got you.”

His rough command shocked me, and I recoiled a little from him.

The hardness in his eyes deteriorated once he saw that he was scaring me. He stepped over and embraced me in a strong hug.

At first, I resisted him for the strong tone with which he spoke to me and then realized he was only trying to protect me and my fingers unfurled to wrap around his waist.

“Sorry, that didn’t come out right. I just want you to stay protected. Sorry,” he apologized.

“It’s okay,” I said in a small muffled voice into the tightness of his barrel chest. It felt cosy, a place to rest where I could feel safe. Both of us stood there in the illuminated light of Holbeck gas station holding one another for a minute. As we drew back, I looked up at him through my lashes as he grazed his lips over mine, the delicate brush of his beard running over my chin.

“Come on, let’s go home.” Bear took my hand.

I got on the back of his bike and the safety I was craving all day came rushing back to me, through him.

I woke up with Bear’s arm covering my body. As I adjusted my eyes to the light and opened one eye, a good morning smile drifted over my lips. How I ended up in this man’s bed was a mystery to me, but it was a mystery I was grateful for. I peeled his arm back, and carefully got up. Padding lightly to the kitchen, I made some coffee.

It was pretty early, but I wanted to visit my brother’s grave and pay my respects. I felt like he was with me more now than ever, there had been so much talk about Deon.

As I thought about making a move to the shower, thick arms wrapped around my body and I instantly rested my head back on Bear’s chest.

“Hey, you’re up early, something on your mind?” he murmured into my hair.

“Hmm. Yeah. I’m going to go to my brother’s gravesite. I want to visit and say hello to him. I usually go there every month. I want to get on the road before anybody else.” I was focused on being connected to my brother. That’s all I could think about.

“Okay.”

That’s what I liked about Bear. He didn’t put pressure on me to talk about my brother and every gloomy part of my life. He let me be and that made me feel like I wanted to reveal things to him. His lips hit the flesh of my shoulder sending a spiral wave of heat through my body. I turned around and raised my lips up to his as we kissed.

Finally, he pulled back. “Do you want me to drop you off there?”

“No, I’m good. I just need a little bit of time alone with him.” I planned to go past the Santa Fe florist and get some fresh flowers. Not that my brother was a flower type of guy. That was the last thing he’d been. He loved sneakers, so every now and then I would go to the store and get him a sneaker on a keychain and bury it into the earth to honor him.

“Understandable. I’m here if you need me.” Bear’s knuckles stroked the side of my face.

I headed to the shower. After I finished and dressed, I gave Bear’s cheek a sweet kiss goodbye and headed over to the gravesite, deciding to bypass the trip to the floral shop. The cemetery was a few miles on the outskirts of town and I enjoyed the drive. I felt the peacefulness as I trod through the cemetery to my brother’s grave.

I touched the headstone, then as soon as my hand ran over the cemented block, I started to cry. I could feel my brother. “I’m here. I miss you so much. I don’t know what to do sometimes.” I wept as I stood over his grave. One of my tears spilled onto his engraved letters as I bent down. “Tell me what to do. Tell me that we’re going to beat Rocky,” I pleaded.

The tears were cathartic, and I felt a little better the longer I stood there. It wasn’t that I got any answers, but I felt a little closer to Deon.

I wrapped up my talk to him with a new sense of clarity and I could swear a light wind came whipping through right where I stood, reminding me of him.

Rest in peace, Deon.

As I reached my vehicle, I was more determined than ever to put Rocky behind bars.

I was hoping it was only a matter of time.

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