Page 35 of Enforcing the Rules

“Oh my God.”

“He’s worth a lot of money, Lizzie.”

“So why would Bill let you have this skip if it’s worth so much?”

“Because I didn’t tell him.”

Her eyes bugged again. “Kate!”

“I know. I know. But there’s a reason I need that money.”

“Look, if it’s your car payment again, maybe Matt and I can loan it to you.”

“I couldn’t let you do that. Besides, it’s about Chloe.”

“Oh, God. What did she do this time?”

“It’s a long story, but her boyfriend left town owing some drug dealers. Now, they think his debt is her debt, and they want her to pay up.”

“Do I dare ask how much?”

I leaned closer, and whispered, even though no one was in the office but us. “Seven thousand, Lizzie.”

Her mouth fell open then snapped closed, and she shook a finger at me. “No. No way. You are not going to pay that off for her. Nuh uh. Nada.”

“I have to help her, Lizzie. She’s desperate, and those men are not nice guys.”

Her chin pulled to the side. “Wait. Have you met them?”

“They came by the café the other night. They were looking for Chloe, and they are terrifying. They threatened me. I went outside the door to talk to them on the street. If it hadn’t been for Utah riding past… who knows what they’d have tried. He scared them off.”

“Wait. Back the train up. What? Utah, the state?”

“Utah, the biker I met. He’s a Royal Bastard.”

Her eyes got huge. “A Royal Bastard? For real?”

“Yep. He saw them hassling me and stopped and ran them off. He was really nice.”

“Waitwaitwait…” she sputtered. “You’re in last night’s clothes… Who exactly did you go home with?”

I bit my lip, and her mouth dropped open.

“You. Did. Not.”

“Okay, I get it.” I put up a hand. “But it’s not like you think. He was really sweet.”

“Bikers aren’t sweet, Kate. Don’t be stupid. You always told me—no you swore to me—you’d never fall for a bad boy. You’d find a good guy, like I did with Matt.”

“I know what I swore.” I shrugged. “Don’t panic. I’ll probably never see him again.”

“Probably?”

“Most likely.”

“Does he have your number?”

“Nope.”

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