Page 99 of Roses Are Dead
His jaw tightened. “Probably more than most.”
I stared up at him. “You’re trying though. That’s something.”
His hand slipped and he walked away.
24
Bear
John wasn’t what I’d thought he be. I expected some beaten-down shell of a man, not someone I might have to tip my chin up at to stare in the eye.
And he was not happy with Rose at all. “They’re bikers, Rose.”
“And you’re a construction worker. Labels, John.”
He seethed quietly.
“How’s Beth?” Rose asked quietly.
“Stable. But her ANC is way too low. They started looking wider for a different donor.”
“What did her parents say about Carl’s absence?”
John scratched his head obviously uncomfortable discussing this in front of me, but I wasn’t moving. I needed this information almost as much as Rose did. Despite his demands, Carl was not following any of his usual patterns. The only person who’d seen hide or hair of him was Fish. And that was because of Carl’s doing, not Fish’s. “They haven’t seen him either. He left their place a week ago.”
That tracked.
I strode over and held a hand out. “Bear.”
John stared at it for a second, then took it. His grip was strong, but the circles under his eyes told a different story. This was a man at the end of his rope. There was real desperation lurking behind his honest expression. “I’m John. You’re Rose’s…”
“Yeah. I’m hers. She’s mine.”
That admission did not make him happy. But Rose slid an arm around me, giving the lie a bit of weight.
I let go of his grip and wrapped my arm over her shoulders. “You ready to go?”
Rose nodded, “Give Beth my best.”
“Will do.” John stopped me. “Bear? I…” He was going to say something sappy, I just knew it.
“Keep your shit tight. That’s all. Despite how it looked, I ain’t no baby sitter. Understand?”
The look he shot Rose was a warning.
A well-deserved one. Like she’d told Gwen, I wasn’t a prince. Far from it. I was a villain who shouldn’t be around him or his kids.
“Let’s go.”
On the cold ride home, I fought visibility and the temptation to ride faster so Rose wouldn’t shiver so much. I hadn’t exactly given her time to dress for the ride, and John’s house was tucked northeast of Harrisburg. That itself was a shit-show when Jackson found out his wife was that far away. His hand went to his gun before he even blinked. I stepped between him and the prospect who relayed the news. I showed him the scrolling feed Hammer had sent during the drive. “They’re safe, man.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.” There’d been murder in his eyes.
And for his sake, I’d buttoned down my own anger and tucked it somewhere I couldn’t even find now. I waited for a light and slipped my hand under Rose’s skirt to rub her leg. “We’ll be home soon.”
“I know.” She took the free moment to tuck her skirt tighter so her skin wouldn’t be exposed. I tapped her knee to warn her the opposite light had turned yellow.
A car screamed through the intersection right after the light turned green on our side. I slammed the clutch down and braked hard. Rose’s body bumped mine, and I steadied the bike so we wouldn’t tip. With a little more caution I checked the intersection before ripping through it.
