I do the scout’s sign. She rolls her eyes. “You were never a boy scout.”
No, and I’m lying about letting her go. But hopefully, by then, it won’t matter. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that I can make her love me again. I did it before without making any effort. Imagine what I could do if I stopped holding myself back.
“Deal.” I hold out my hand for her to shake. She reluctantly slips her hand into mine. I know she’s only agreeing to this because she doesn’t think I can’t do it. She’s convinced she’ll be able to walk away because I’ll only reinforce all the reasons she’s better off without me. She doesn’t know me as well as shethinks, if she thinks I’ll let her go. I tried that once and failed spectacularly.
“I need to work though, Midas.”
“You’ll work at Au.”
“And when I leave, I’ll be jobless again. No thanks.”
“If you leave, I’ll sign this whole place over to you so you never need to worry about finding employment again.”
Her mouth drops open in shock. “What? You can’t do that. This is your livelihood.”
“I have plenty of money, Legs. None of it means anything to me without you, and as you pointed out, my heart is not in this place. It never was. It was only about making money.”
She sighs and rubs her eyes, looking tired again. “I don’t know, Midas. I like my job. I love my boss and the people I work with. I don’t want to leave them in the lurch, especially when they’ve been so good to me. I’m not sure I’d have made it through all this without Del.”
“They care about you.”
She nods.
“Then they’ll want you safe.”
“I know, but she’ll also be the one wanting to keep me safe. Let’s just say she’s not your biggest fan, She’ll assume I’m here because you manipulated me somehow. Of course, she’s right, you played on her and my baby getting hurt. But if I tell her that, she’ll shoot you in your sleep. She’s already not a fan of MCs as it is.”
“She?” Legs nods.
“Wait? She doesn’t like MC’s. How come?”
“Bad experience,” she tells me and shuts up, not willing to spill her boss’s secrets. I let it go for now, but I’ll have to push for more later, especially if her boss has links to another MC. For all I know, this trouble could be linked to the boss and not Raven Souls.
“I’ll take you over and explain what’s happening and why.” That way I can feel the woman out.
“No. She won’t speak to you. There is anger against MCs, but there is also fear there, Midas, and I won’t do that to her in her place of business or her home.”
“She has to know not all MCs are bad.”
“Does she? She knows of you guys, and I can’t say that brought her any comfort either. She’s wary, and from what I know, rightfully so.”
I blow out a frustrated breath. “I’m not letting you go alone, Legs. It’s not safe. If this guy snatches you, it’s game over. There are things you can’t come back from.”
“I know, Midas. I know,” she emphasizes, making my blood run cold. At that moment, I know that she does. We never delved into our histories because of my need to keep her at a distance and not ask reciprocal questions. Now I know how fucking idiotic that was. Before I can say anything else, she pushes on.
“You can take me, but you are not coming inside. Take it or leave it.”
I grit my teeth but nod, knowing it’s the best I’m going to get. “Fine. We should probably head out soon before your boss files a missing person’s report,” I snap.
“First smart thing you’ve said all day,” she snaps back.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Legs
We driveto the diner in relative silence. I’m not in the mood to make conversation and Midas is still pissed about how things played out. My main concern at the moment is how Del will react. I wasn’t joking when I said she would flip out. I know she cares about me, and I’ve come to rely on our friendship. It’s going to hurt like hell if she thinks I’m more hassle than I’m worth.
“Why do you look like you’re going to cry? I didn’t even open my mouth,” Midas asks, sounding confused. I almost snort at that. Sometimes, I swear men were emotionally stunted at birth.
