Page 7 of Roan

Carl, and everyone else in the room, looks to Tiller.

He starts laughing. “I’m not saying she is, but I’m alsonotgonna not say it.” And then, “Check my bathroom,” he says in passing, stopping only to grab a beer, and toss a set of keys he finds on the counter at my head.

I dodge the keys and finish the espresso, intending to go take a shower.

Carl comes around the side of the island, his phone in hand. “I’m gonna go take care of this and then I’ll meet you outside.”

Carl usually comes with us to meetings. The majority of his time is spent following Shade around, but if I’m in LA, he goes with me. One incident with a group of girls following me into the bathroom at a restaurant and I’m not allowed to go alone. To be fair, that particular incident scared the shit out of me too, but this time I didn’t need the father of the girl I’m trying to forget around me. I need away from everyone today.

I push off the chair and rush upstairs. Maybe if I finish getting ready, I can dodge Carl before he’s finished at the gate.

Unfortunately for me, my plan doesn’t work. I spent twenty minutes in the shower, drove my fist through the door, threw up, wrapped my hand up, and now I’m swinging a leg over my Ducati when Carl finds me. “What are you doing?”

I rev the engine trying to drown out everything around me. “I’m going alone,” I tell him, reaching for my helmet.

His eyes drop to the bike. “That’s not an option.” He points to the black SUV he’s parked behind my bike, as if that’s going to stop me. “You know the rules.”

I breathe out, shaking my head, my jaw tight and ears ringing from the constant chatter inside my head. “I said I’m going alone. Go look after Shade. He’s the one who you should be keeping an eye on.” I glance to the house when I hear screaming. It’s no surprise who it comes from. Tiller, on the roof, buck-ass fucking naked holding a paint ball gun. “Or that stupid fuck.”

He shoots at my bike but misses and hits Carl in the back of the leg.

“That fucker,” Carl grumbles, cringing at the sting. “Tiller, get down from there!”

With Carl distracted, I kick the bike into gear and head up the driveway. I need to be alone. With the sun on my face, and probably over the legal blood alcohol limit to be on the road, I’m left with my own thoughts. A place I’m not entirely sure I want to be today.

I think about her, even when I don’t want to. Reality starts to set in and I begin to second guess myself. Maybe I shouldn’t have told her to leave. She’s young, innocent, impressionable and made a mistake. Sometimes age is confusing and I’m here to tell you power and maturity don’t always lie with who’s older.

I shake my head, twisting the throttle and merging onto I-10. No, she knew what she was doing. Long before she turned to him. She knew when I kissed her for the first time what we were both doing. Playing with fire, and now that we had both been burned, I’m not sure there’s anything worth salvaging from the ashes we’re left in.

IT TAKES ME two hours in LA before I’m back at home, and my mood hasn’t gotten any better. In fact, it’s probably worse than before because I know Tiller’s here. Somewhere, probably causing madness or fucking someone’s girlfriend.

You know, in his defense, if there is any, Ophelia isn’t technically my girlfriend.

Camden, the neighbor kid who refuses to leave our house, is sitting in the living room with a bag of chips, soda in hand, watching the highlights from last week’s X-Fighters in Seattle.

I sit next to him and take the chips from him. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”

He shrugs, his shaggy blond hair falling into his eyes. “It’s four in the afternoon.”

“Right.”

With a gesture to the television above the massive fireplace, his curious green eyes find mine. “Shade smoked you.”

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, but who’s leading the points?”

He laughs. “Shade.”

“Oh, right.” I take his soda next. “Stop pissing me off.”

“Wanna hit the track? I brought my bike over.”

We stand, and then there’s a woman in my face, biting her lip and looking at me expectantly. Her hands slide to my chest, gripping my shirt between her fists. She’s tall, dark-haired, thin as a rail, and I know where this is heading. “Hey, Roan,” she whispers.

It’s not unheard of for this to happen. I’ve gone up to bed before and found chicks already naked in my bed. While most men would be thrilled, that shit annoys me. Sure, I’ve fucked around a lot in my life, but when it’s readily available at every turn, it gets old and you find yourself twenty-three and bored out of your mind with the usual antics.

Camden’s cheeks redden as he stares at the chick. She’s topless. He really shouldn’t be around this shit but I didn’t invite the kid over here. He showed up one day and hasn’t left. It’s not my fault he’s learning sex ed from us. If anything, his parents should thank us.

While the woman gives a solid sales pitch, I’m not looking to buy. I take her hands off my chest. “Go find Tiller. I’m not interested.”

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