Page 45 of Rough Rider (Bad Boy High)
I went hunting and lost, which makes me both disappointed and angry. Not only did I get my ass kicked and came away empty-handed, but I didn’t give that fucker what he deserved. The back of my head throbs, but I don’t know if it’s because of my fall or embarrassment at getting roughed up.
”That cow is already dead, so you don’t need to strangle it more.” Bam stretches his arm out to push a glass of milk beside my hand.
It hurts to move, but I know I need the nutrition. I’ve got to heal up quickly and go back to Rico’s to take care of the businessI didn’t complete. I ease up on the burger I’ve squeezed half to death and wipe my hand clean before downing the milk.
“So you went to the river?” I prompt.
Bam refills my glass immediately. He knows what I need. We’ve both been here before. Lots of protein helps us heal up fast. A diet of meat, milk, and eggs, and I’ll be in fighting form. “Easiest place to get rid of the body so we started there,” Bam says.
“You were on the rocks.” Andy shudders.
“The shock of the water probably woke you up, and you had enough energy to crawl to the shore, and then you passed out again. Basically saved yourself.” Bam lifts his own glass of milk in cheers.
“Don’t ever do that again.” Andy glares. My vision has cleared enough to make out her angry features.
“There’s a reason we work in pairs,” Bam adds. He’s not happy either.
“Okay. Okay.” I hold up my hands in surrender. “I got it.”
“I’d punch you, but you’re already brittle as a piece of burnt toast.” Andy is practically vibrating with her fear. I stroke my hand down her back.
“She’s calling you weak,” my friend jokes.
“I hear her.” I was weak in the moment. I should have been more aware. I knew I was going to have to fight, and I should have assumed that there would be weapons. I did nothing right, but Rico is also a dumbass. The strip club owner should have made sure I was dead. I wolf the rest of my burger, wash down the crumbs, and then lift Andy off my lap. “I’m gonna take Andy home and then go read to Julie.”
“I already called your mom and said you’d passed out from too much studying,” Bam says. “She took the kid to Mrs. B’s place.”
Mrs. B is an older woman who lives downstairs from us. She’s crabby and always has this sour look on her face whenever she sees me, but she’s never once turned down a request from Mom, probably because Mom rarely makes requests. I’ll have to make it up to Mom, Julie,andMrs. B. My debts are racking up.
“Then, after I walk Andy home, I’ll see you back here.”
“I’m not leaving.” Andy crosses her arms. “You’re trying to get rid of me so you can plot your revenge against Rico, and that’s not happening.”
I gnaw on my lower lip and mentally debate how I’m going to handle this. I don’t want to lie to Andy, but I don’t want to worry her, either.
“We can’t let it slide,” Bam says.
“Sure you can. People do all the time.”
“No, it’s a safety issue, babe.” I touch her cheek, thinking of how delicate and breakable she is and how Rico, having tossed my ass in the river, will believe she has no protection. “If we don’t act, then Rico will think he can do whatever he wants with you. This isn’t a case where we turn the other cheek and Rico suddenly becomes a good guy. Instead, he sees you as someone without a safety net, someone disposable. The only reason that the Riders hold their territory is because everyone believes that if you harm one of us, you harm us all. So we can’t let it slide. This is what I do, Andy babe. I enforce the Rider law. Hell, Bam and I are the law.”
Her lip quivers, and Bam, sensing disaster, flees like a coward. “I’ve gotta—I hear my phone ringing.” He darts into his bedroom and slams the door shut.
I return to the kitchen chair and pull Andy onto my lap again. “It’ll be different this time. I won’t be alone. I’ll be prepared, but I can’t let it go. Not for your safety, not for Julie or my mom or any of my brothers.”
“I don’t like this.” She presses her lips together.
Because of my idiocy, I’ve made her afraid. Just another reason I need to clean up this mess.
Chapter Thirty
ANDY
I’m not sure what to make of the whole Riders holding their territory thing, but I do know I can’t stop it. No matter what I say to Niki, he’ll do what needs to be done, especially if there is a threat looming.
What I can do is get him to rest now that he has some food in him. I need to take care of him. If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t be in this mess and almost have died. I can’t help but feel an immense amount of guilt for bringing all of this to his doorstep. Not only putting him in danger but everyone around him, including his mom and sister.
"Hey." Niki kisses the shell of my ear. His hold around me tightens. I'm still sitting in his lap. "Don't cry on me." I blink quickly, trying to get the tears to clear. The many thoughts racing through my mind let me know that’s not happening anytime soon.
