Breaking the Cycle (Rocking Racers Book 1) Page 17

  I nod. “I’m okay, just a little bit of metal in my leg.”

  “And four stitches,” Reed adds.

  “What?” Rome asks.

  “Really, Rome, it wasn’t anything major. I’m fine now. The stitches have dissolved and I’ve only got a small scar.”

  “Fuck!” Rome yells and pulls on his hair. “How did this happen, Bri?” he asks me, despair written all over his face.

  “I don’t know, Rome. Life doesn’t always turn out like we think it will.”

  “Everything is so fucked up.” A tear falls from his eye.

  I look to Reed and he nods. I’m not even going to ask how he knew what I was after, but he gave it to me. I get up, go around to Rome’s side of the table, and put my arms around him. He folds into me and grabs me by the waist, sobbing into my shoulder. I pat him on the back and try to console him.

  “You really want out?” I ask him when he starts to calm down.

  He nods and sniffs. “I can’t do it anymore, Bri. I miss the old me. Hell, I miss you. I miss Gray. I miss having you guys in my life. I miss the time we could’ve spent together, all three of us—or four now,” he says, looking at Reed. “I hate the person I’ve become, what I’ve done, what I haven’t done. This isn’t me, Bri, you know that, right?”

  I nod. “I do.”

  “So what happens now?” Reed asks.

  Rome releases me and wipes his face. “I don’t know.”

  “You live with guys from Devil, right?” Reed asks, and Rome nods. “Do you have somewhere you can go?”

  “Home.” He shrugs.

  “Anywhere else?”

  Rome shakes his head.

  “You know when they figure out you’re not with them, they’re going to come after you?”

  “Yeah.” Rome sighs. “I know, but anything is better than staying there.” He takes a deep breath. “There’s something you should know, though,” Rome says, looking at Reed.

  “Oh yeah?”

  Rome nods. “Hunter’s planning on hitting the garage, your garage. He’s going to destroy it.”

  “What?” Reed all but shouts.

  “He knows you guys store everything there, all the racing bikes, Jax and Mav’s bikes, everything, and he’s going to destroy it.”

  “That motherfucker,” Reed curses. “When? How?”

  “He’s going to wait until it’s the most inconvenient for you.”

  “Of course he is. How?”

  “Hunter doesn’t have a lot of imagination—”

  “This I know,” Reed interrupts.

  “He’s going with an explosion and fire again.”

  “Fuck. Me,” Reed says, and cracks his knuckles. “You dead serious about getting out?” Reed asks and stares Rome in the eyes.

  He nods. “I am.”

  Reed lets out a breath. “Okay, this is what you’re going to do.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  REED

  “You’re going to go back to Devil.”

  Bria squeaks and I know she’s going to hate it, but for Roman’s sake this is how it’s gotta be.

  “I know you’re not gonna like this bit, angel, but it’s what’s best for Roman.”

  She looks into my eyes and I see nothing but love and trust. She nods; that’s my girl.

  “You supposed to be going with them to the race this weekend?” I ask Roman, and he nods.

  “You won’t be going.”

  “Okay.” I see Bria relax a little.

  “Find a reason to delay your departure and for Christ’s sake, make sure you’re alone. Pack all your shit and then come to the diner. My brothers, Mav and Jax, have a place nearby with a spare bedroom and they’re about to leave for big air training. You can stay there. You’ll need to leave your car and bike at our garage. There’s enough storage room there that we can put them inside so no one knows you’re with us.”

  “Okay, sounds good.” Roman nods.

  “One other thing.” He stills. “You need to find out as much as you can about the hit on the garage, and then we’re going to the police.”

  “Yep, okay.”

  “You think you can handle this?”

  “It’s time, man, past time.”

  “They’re going to come after you.”

  “I know.”

  “They’re going to hurt you.” He really needs to understand the reality of the decision he's about to make.

  “I know.”

  “If I find out that you’re playing us....”

  “I’m not playing you.”

  “I don’t give a shit about me, but if you break my girl’s trust, Hunter David will be the least of your worries.”

  He smiles and turns to Bria. “So when’s the wedding?”

  “Shut up, Rome.” She shoves him playfully.

  He grabs her hand. “But seriously, Bri, you’ve got a great guy here. I’ve heard about his reputation, but I can tell you guys have the real deal.”

  Bria smiles. “Thanks, Rome.”

  “Are you—” He stops and clears his throat. “Are you going to tell Grayson you saw me? That you’re helping me?”

  Bria bites her lip; I know this is a major point of concern for her.

  “I don’t know,” she says truthfully.

  “Please, Bri. I know I fucked up, but I love her.”

  “I know, and she loves you, but I can’t just open her up to all this. I need to know you aren’t going to bail on her again.”

  Roman nods. “That’s fair.”

  “Let’s just get you settled and then we can decide what to do about Grayson, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Just then, Bria lets out a yawn. I know she’s probably had a tough time sleeping lately. The past few days have been an emotional roller coaster and it doesn’t look like it’s ending anytime soon.

  “We should get going. It’s been a long few days,” I say, getting up and extending a hand to Bria.

  She stands, as does Roman, and they hug.

  “Thanks for coming to see me, Bri.”

  “Just don’t make me regret it, okay?”

  He nods. “I won’t.”

  I write down my number. “Don’t save it under my name. Actually, it might be better if you get a new number altogether.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “If you need something, let us know.”

  “Thanks, Reed. I know you have no obligation to help me, but thanks.”

  I shrug. “You tried to protect my girl. For that reason alone, I can respect you. Just don’t….”

  “Fuck up again. I get it.”

  I shoot him a wry smile. “Good. We’ll be at the track Saturday, but either my older brother Parker, or my pa will meet you at the garage on Saturday and then take you to the littles’ house.”

  “The littles?” he asks.

  “Mav and Jax’s house. They’re the youngest so we call their house the littles’. Mine is the middles’, and so on.”

  “Right.”

  “Take care, Rome, and I can't help it.”

  “I know, but let this one”—he gestures to me—“do all the worrying. I think he can handle it.”

  She bobs her head.

  “We’ll be in touch,” I say and shake his hand. He takes it and gives me a nod and I hope to God he’s not playing us.

  “Come on.” I hold my hand out for Bria. She takes it and I pull her close as we walk back to the car. “I have a reward to claim,” I whisper in her ear.

  She giggles and slaps my chest. I catch her hand and bring it to my lips. She stops, looking up at me, showing me nothing but love.

  “Thank you for being here, for helping my friend.”

  “I gotta admit, it was touch and go for a minute there.”

  She blows out a breath. “I know. It was a lot to take in. Way more than I thought it would be.”

  I spin her round, tuck her into my side and walk her to the car, “I know, but hopefully we can put an end to all this bullshit once and for all an
d get your friend back.”

  “What am I going to do about Grayson?”

  “I honestly don’t know, but at some point, you are going to have to clue her in, let her make her own decisions.”

  She expels a heavy breath and rests against the car. I cage her in. “I know, but what happens if he hurts her again?”

  “I think that’s the last thing he wants. I saw how he looked when he talked about her.”

  “How was that?”

  “Like how I look at you.” She melts against me. “Let’s go home. I think we both need a little stress reliever.” I wink at her as I bundle her into the car.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  BRIA

  I must have fallen asleep on the way home because the next thing I know Reed is unbuckling my seat belt and lifting me from the car.

  “Reed?” I ask sleepily.

  “Shh, angel, you fell asleep. We’re home now.”

  “Mmm.” I stretch in his arms.

  Liam opens the door. “How’d it go?” he asks.

  “Let me put Bria to bed and I’ll tell you.”

  “I’m okay. Put me down.”

  “You sure?”

  “I had a nap, Reed, not major surgery.” I laugh.

  “Fine.” He heads to the living room. “See who’s free. I want to tell this story as few times as possible,” he says to Liam, then sits on the couch and folds me into his lap.

  Liam’s phone beeps. “Park, Pop, and Pa are on their way over. Mav and Jax will look after the diner.”

  Reed nods and plays with my hair. He seems to like running his hands through it so I wear it down a lot more.

  Thirty seconds after the text, the elder Ryans come through the back door. They all greet me before taking a seat.

  “So how’d it go?” Liam repeats.

  “Pretty good, I think,” Reed says. “We chatted, Roman explained a few things, and I think he’s genuine in his desire to leave Devil.”

  “Good,” Pop says, and it doesn’t surprise me one bit that they’ve taken Rome’s cause as their own.

  “He told us he was the one who smashed the windows of the diner that night.” I can see their anger rising before Reed continues, “But he did it because he knew the two inside wouldn’t stop until we were seriously injured. He also saw Bria with Chris and wanted them to be safe.”

  “But it’s okay for them to be showered with glass?” Park asks.

  “Better than the alternatives. There’s a lot of dangerous shit in the kitchen, Park. One wrong move and we could’ve been headed face first into the fryer or grill. Roman stopped them in the most effective way.”

  “Whatever,” Parker mumbles.

  “There’s more,” I pipe up. “Rome was the one who caused the explosion.”

  “He did what?” is the general reaction.

  “I know it’s shocking, but the original plan was to cause it during the warm-up, which, if you remember, was when Chris and I were in the garage, and all of you were close too. He opted to do it when he did because the garage was empty.”

  “That’s little consolation,” Parker says.

  “I know,” Reed butts in, “but you have to think of it from his point of view. Plus, when he heard Bria was injured, he was distraught.”

  “You don’t think it was an act?” Pop asks.

  Reed shakes his head. “He’s one hell of an actor if it is.”

  “So why now?” Pa asks.

  “Because of Bria. Hunter wants to go after her.” Reed holds me tighter like that’s going to protect me.

  “And that’s not a convenient excuse?” Parker asks. I really hope he’s playing devil’s—no pun intended—advocate and not voicing his true thoughts.

  “If you saw Rome when he first left for Devil,” I say, “you’d know he wouldn’t give a shit if me or Grayson or even his parents were in the firing line. He wanted in, no matter the cost. Now, he’s actively doing things to circumvent Hunter and his desire for destruction.”

  “He did seem like he really wants to get out,” Reed says.

  “So what now?” Pop asks.

  “There’s one more thing,” I say with trepidation.

  “More?” Liam asks.

  I nod. “Hunter’s going to go after our garage.”

  “And you’re trusting this guy?” Parker fumes.

  “Just calm down, okay?” Reed says tersely. “Roman told us about the plan. That’s a start.”

  “Is it the end?”

  “No. I’ve sent him back to get as much info as possible and then we’re going to the cops.”

  “He’s willing?”

  “He is,” I say. “Look, I know this news is upsetting. Hell, it was for me too, but I think Rome really does want out. Did he stay too long? Yes. Is he an idiot for going in the first place? Yes, but he’s willing to put himself on the line to stop Hunter. I know you guys have no reason to trust him, no reason to help him, but he’s my friend and I’d like to think that if the positions were reversed he’d help me. You guys don’t have to be involved if you don’t want to. We just wanted to run everything by you, keep you in the loop, and be honest and open with you.”

  “If he’s part of your family,” Pa says, “then he’s part of ours. If this boy wants to leave and have a better life, then who are we to deny him that? If you and Reed trust him, that’s good enough for me.” Everyone else nods.

  “Thank you,” I whisper and tears pool in my eyes.

  “Jax and Mav are going out to Bucky’s for training after the race this weekend, aren’t they?” Reed asks.

  “Yeah,” Pop says. “They’ll leave from the track.”

  “We thought Roman could stay there, at least for the time being.”

  “It’s a good idea,” Liam says. “Unless he wants to go home?” he asks, looking at me.

  I shake my head. “He doesn’t want this following him there.”

  “Fair enough,” Parker says.

  “So you’re all okay with this? I promise I understand if you don’t want to deal with any of this.”

  Pop shakes his head and repeats the same sentiment, “If he’s your family, he’s ours.”

  I get up and hug them all before snuggling back into Reed’s lap. My tummy rumbles.

  “And on that note I’m going to feed my girl and then we’re going to chill because she’s had a roller coaster few days.”

  I smile. I can’t imagine anyone taking as good care of me as Reed.

  We all go over to the diner where we fill Jax and Mav in on everything. Mav nods while Jax crows.

  “He can have the fucking place if it gets rid of that douche.”

  “I don’t think that will be necessary, but thank you anyway,” I say.

  “Oh, sis,” Jax says, slinging an arm around my shoulders, “you really are the gift that keeps on giving.”

  “And why’s that?” Reed asks, removing Jax’s arm and pulling me into his side as we sit at my booth.

  “One,” Jax begins, “because she tamed you, giving me endless opportunities to rag on you. Two, she’s a mega PR ace, who’s going to make me rich and famous and keep me out of media jail.”

  “Please tell me you’re not actively doing anything to land yourself in media jail,” I implore.

  Jax brushes my concern away. “No worries, sis, I’m all angel.” He winks at me. “But third, and this is the kicker, you’re delivering us the guy who’s going to shut down Hunter David. Doesn’t get much better than that.”

  “I can think of a few things that are,” Reed whispers in my ear and bites down on the lobe. I moan quietly.

  We eat dinner and head back to his house. Reed then disappears into the bathroom. I’m not going to lie and say I don’t think it’s strange but there are some things a girlfriend doesn’t need to know about. You know what I mean?

  I’m lying on my stomach when Reed finally comes out. He climbs on top of me, nibbles on my ear, and kisses my neck.

  “Relaxed?” he asks.

  “
Getting there.”

  “So this stuff with Roman?”

  I huff out a breath. “I just can’t think about it anymore. I keep running scenarios through my head over and over and it’s driving me crazy. The race this weekend gives me the perfect opportunity to think about something else.”

  Reed kisses the back of my neck and I shiver. “That’s what I thought.” He gets up. “Come with me.”

  I roll over and take his hand. “Where are we going?”

  He leads us to the bathroom where candles burn on every surface and the bath is filled with a thick layer of bubbles on the top.

  “Reed,” I breathe.

  “Shh,” he says, pressing a finger to my lips. He reaches for my top and lifts it off, undoing my bra a second later. Those are quickly followed by my shorts and panties. Reed quickly strips and then steps into the bath and offers me his hand. I step in and we sit, my back pressed to his chest, me seated between his legs.

  Reed cups water over my shoulders, the water running over my breasts and chest, then down my back. I relax further into him. He begins to massage my shoulders and I let out a moan.

  “That feels so good.”

  “You’ve had a few big days.”

  “That’s an understatement.”

  “Do you regret being with me?” he asks in a neutral voice, as if preparing for the worse.

  I turn to face him. “As long as I live, I will never regret being with you. How can you regret being with your soul mate?” I offer him a smile. The ease in which I can talk to him, even when sharing the mushy stuff that would usually leave my face glowing comes easily.

  “It’s just, if it weren’t for my family, you’d be able to accept Roman into your life so much easier.”

  “No, I wouldn’t. He’d still be facing all their retribution and he’d have no one to help him.”

  “I’m sorry. I know you don’t want to talk about it—”

  “But this is new to you and you worry about me. It’s okay, Reed, I get it,” I finish for him.

  His hands move from my shoulders to my breasts and I hiss. “What? What is it? Did I hurt you?” Reed asks, panicking.

  “It’s fine. They’re just a little sensitive. It happens when I’m about to get my period.”