Page 38 of The Biker and the Gamer
Her hand on the doorknob, she glances over her shoulder at me and winks. “Oh, trust me, I will.”
I lie there flagged for the next couple of minutes before I grab my phone and tap out a text.
Me:Message me when you get there so I know you're safe.
She replies five minutes later with a thumbs-up emoji. And it's all I need to get moving again.
I shower, dress, and head downstairs. I'm happy my brother is here, but the timing is whacked, because the truth is, I’m on a Kendra Tisdale high right now and wouldmuchrather be spending the rest of the day with her. It’s messed up but I can’t help how I’m feeling.
Downstairs, I find Cedric nursing a glass of brandy while watching an episode ofBillions.
He eyes me over the rim of his glass as I snag a bottled water from the fridge. "So, Kendra…"
"What about her?"
He picks up the remote and pauses the show. "Is that a ‘thing’?"
I twist the cork off the water bottle. "Why does it matter? Her contract is up."
"Yes,thatcontract is up, but in the future, therewillbe more contracts. We’ll need her for appearances and interviews where necessary, Game Con, or whatever else depending on the success of the game. Hooking up with her is a bad idea. I can only see this ending horribly. You two are a terrible match." He snorts and takes another sip of brandy. “The last thing we want is this chick making up lies and suing us for some shit."
"Why, because she's a low-life who's after my money?"
His free hand goes up in a surrendering gesture. "I didn’t say that. But, youdidpay an extra 300k out of your pocket for her."
“Maybe you should try to get to know her instead of talking shit," I ground out, lancing him a glare. "Y’know, seeing as how we're going to need her in the future. It might be in your best interest to maintain a good business relationship with her."
"You're defending this girl and you don't even know her.” He shakes his head. “Do you know she's been to jail, twice? Do you know she shot a man near to death? You're playing with fire, Alec."
I slam the water bottle down and stride across the room until I'm standing over him, glowering. “You better shut your damn mouth before I shut it for you."
Cedric sighs. "Look at you, she's already changing you.” He shakes his head again. “Alec Vaughn, threatening me with violence. Never thought I'd see the day."
"Shut the fuck up, Cedric," a voice growls from behind me.
I close my eyes, take a deep breath, then shove my fingers through my hair before turning to face Isaac. He's freshly showered and dressed in a new hipster attire. "Ready?" I ask.
He gives me a strange look but nods.
I can feel him staring at me the entire way to the garage.
"What?" I snap at him once we’re in the Jeep and the engine is running,
He grins at me now. “Just that I've never seen you angry before. You’re like the most chill person I know, and you don't even smoke or get high."
"I do get angry," I rebut. "I'm human."
"Maybe you do," he says, "but you’ve never shown it. Who knew it would be a chick that brought out your bad side? Damn, she must give some real good hea—"
"Don't youdarefinish that sentence," I growl at him as I pull out into traffic.
"I get it, I get it. She’s your girl," he says through a laugh, his hands going up. "Though, you could’ve told me that from the get-go. I wouldn't have flirted with her like that. She's dope. I like her."
No, I couldn't have told him that from the get-go, because not even Kendra knows she’s my girl. According to her, we're just “hanging out on the low”, while I'm over here ready to punch my best friend’s face in for her.
I'm not surprised that Cedric did his digging on her. It’s his job to know who we're getting in bed with. What I'm pissed about is that he tried to use that information to vilify her instead of talking to me like a friend.
Kendra had already told me about her jail stints while she drove us back from the bike show a few weeks ago. In fact, I have it all on video. In both instances where she landed up in jail, it was a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time around the wrong people. She hung out with bad dudes who did bad shit and, as a result, got scooped up with them twice.
