Page 24 of Petty's Crime

I know he’s making a dig at me for suggesting it could be someone else who’s after her, or that she could have been making this all up, but I have to agree, this definitely points to her ex.

I eye several brothers who are coming in and out of the house. “You clearing them?”

“Trying to,” Roller agrees. “Fuck knows how many there are or where they could be hiding. RoseLyn won’t go back inside, and I don’t fuckin’ blame her.”

“Shit.” I find it hard to blame her myself. I might not be scared of snakes but I have a healthy respect for them, and would make a point of avoiding the venomous type. I do take it that as RoseLyn’s sitting in her car that she wasn’t bitten, else she’d have been in the emergency room. Thank fuck for small mercies.

Being in the SUV, I don’t have my helmet and gloves nor a jacket with me. My t-shirt only has short sleeves. I shudder as I notice my brothers are all better prepared, but still I offer, “You want me to come in and help?”

Roller shakes his head. “No.” He grimaces. “Red doesn’t want to take the chance we might miss one of the fuckers, and to be honest, RoseLyn might shit herself if we ask her to go back into the house. He wants you to take RoseLyn to a hotel and get her settled, then go to the casino with her. Sarge will take over at midnight as normal.”

I narrow my eyes, remembering how angry Britney was that I had to leave her. “And no one else can do that?”

Roller shrugs. “Cobra’s helping to find the slippery fuckers, and,” his mouth quirks, “maybe Red thinks your lack of compassion will somehow steady her.”

Well fuck. I am sympathetic, who wouldn’t be for someone who returned to find their house occupied by these no-legged beasts. But the relationship I have with Britney means I wouldn’t show it to her. Maybe Red’s right and it’s a way to stop her from freaking out.

Half-turning, I notice RoseLyn still seated in the car. She’s wiping her eyes and looks like she’s maybe crying. “She took it badly, I take it?”

Roller half snorts. “What do you think? She’s fuckin’ devastated, Brother. If the snakes hadn’t decided to explore the living room, she might not have known until one bit her.”

Grimacing, I turn back to the truck. “What’s going to happen to these fuckers?”

“Some are dead, but the live ones we’re going to let free in the desert.”

I could do that for them. “I’ll stay and take care of that for you. You comfort our singing diva.”

But Roller again shakes his head. “Red was specific that you take care of her.”

I think I’m the last person she needs now, but there’s no point arguing. Seems like the next few hours I can’t avoid being in close quarters with a bitch. But then, if it wasn’t RoseLyn, it would be Britney. In comparison, perhaps RoseLyn would be better.

“I’ll get her out of here.” My reflexes are fast as Roller tosses me the car keys and I catch them without fumbling. I start to turn away, then look back. “We got the asshole who brought them on camera?” We have, of course, installed security cameras around her property.

“Keys has been checking it out, but the fucker kept his hood up and his face turned away.”

“But we think it’s Saul?”

He shrugs. “Her fear of snakes isn’t in her bio, and he definitely knows how much they frighten her. This isn’t the work of a crazed fan who wants to get close to her. This is someone who wants to scare her, hurt her, and doesn’t care if she ends up dead.”

One of my suspicions has been crossed off the list. RoseLyn’s certainly not behind this and doing her own stalking to get attention. Even though I know, better than most, how well a woman can act, thinking she’d filled her own house with snakes would be stretching it past the limit.

As Roller gives a shudder, replaces his helmet and walks back into the house, I place a call and get details of the hotel that’s been booked for her. Having gotten the details, I stand, tapping my phone against my palm for a moment. Whether it’s her ex or not, and yeah, the current situation suggests it’s Saul and not some unknown assailant, he’s getting closer and more dangerous. There’s a twitch of excitement within me, hoping the bastard responsible for hounding her will make an appearance tonight. I’m in the fucking mood to take out my anger on something.

“We think we’ve got them all.” Considering the task he’s just completed, Cobra sounds surprisingly cheerful when he updates me. “Her bedroom’s been cleared so she can come back in and pack a bag now.”

“I’ll tell her.” I nod at him.

As I approach the car, I don’t miss RoseLyn’s guarded glance toward her front door, nor how the blood fades from her face when I’m close enough to speak to her and suggest she come inside. I get the feeling that Red is right and that I spark something within her, as instead of giving in to her fear, she straightens her back and steps out of the car. Her steps falter as she approaches her house, and I chide her.

“Scared?” My dismissive tone is meant to rile her, and has that effect. With a disdainful look toward me, she walks forward again.

While I admit to being ambivalent toward the woman I’m protecting, today I have genuine sympathy for her. Especially when we walk into her house and find it in such a mess. The couch has been overturned and cushions removed, and there’s blood on the floor suggesting one of the reptiles was apparently too difficult to catch. I place my hand on her arm to steady her as she rises on tiptoes, and feel the goosebumps on her skin.

“Just one bag of the necessities,” I remind her softly.

She coughs to clear her throat, but her words still come out as a squeak. “I need to get a cleaning service in.”

“We can handle that.” Her fear is palpable, her bravery evident as she walks toward her bedroom where I can see that the bed has been stripped.

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