“You shouldn’t come here anymore,” I said. “Consider yourself fortunate that you saw me as much as you did with no trouble. But this town isn’t safe for anyone, most of all people who know me.”
“No.”
Fucking shit, Tara.
“You are right, I’d prefer not to come here, but I enjoy being around you, Brock.”
I looked right into her eyes. Judging by the look of surprise on her face, I wasn’t even sure she had meant to say those words. But as that surprised gaze softened and she resumed looking at me tenderly, I was faced with a reality I’d tried to ignore for some time.
Tara liked me.
And nothing could ever fucking come of that.
I was terrified of what the consequences would be if I so much as kissed her, let alone had sex with her or dated her. As beautiful, sweet, fierce, amazing, and kind as she was…
No, I could not even compliment her any longer, now that I knew how she really felt. Doing so gave her an opening to respond in kind, and it created a vicious fucking cycle. I was Steele’s best friend, but a woman like her…
“Don’t come here again if you can help it,” I said. “Please.”
Tara bit her lip, folded her arms, and refused to budge. I was not playing this game.
“Look, don’t make me kick you off company property,” I said. “I can’t control where you go, but I can control you staying here.”
“Brock—”
“Tara, please,” I said. “Don’t let me see you get hurt. That’s guaranteed to happen if you stick around.”
I hated saying that. I hated telling a woman that had been something like a sister to me that I didn’t want to see her. All of those times comforting her after her fights with Steele…
Did she like me then too?
Fuck, has she been after me this whole time?
“You’ll probably see me from time to time if NME gets its way,” she said. “But I’ll take your advice under consideration.”
She returned to her car, revved it to life, and drove out of the parking lot faster than I had ever seen her drive.
I wanted to feel relief. All the confusing issues of her past aside, she was in a different world than I could ever inhabit. She was the daughter of one of the richest men in New Mexico, a girl who not only was destined for the stars, she already had a spaceship sailing that way. I was a nobody who worked at a gas station, knew how to fight, and got my ass kicked when I tried to go three on one.
And she had her chance to date one of us. She and Steele were not a summer fling; they had dated for two years before she finally broke up with him. That was her chance, and she had said no.
I just had to hope that if I was forced into a similar situation, I would also say no.
* * *
As was usual after a long day at work, I retreated to the house where the rest of the boys lived. It was the spot where the Bernard Boys got to drink beer, play cards, do stupid shit, and act like the archaic rules of society no longer applied.
But tonight, I was not content to let our circle of self-governance stay restricted to this single house. I was tired of living in a town governed by the Bandits and corrupt, self-blinding officials. It was time to change shit.
“There he is!” Garrett yelled as I walked in. “Motherfucker’s got a black eye, let me compliment that with a Red Bull.”
“Funny,” I said, but I took the vodka-Red Bull mix handed to me. “What are we doing?”
“Just shooting the shit,” Mason said. “What else would we be doing?”
“Steele’s talking about how he’s getting into the best shape of his life,” Zack said. “He asked me to look up some of the newest fitness hacks.”
I nodded, sat on the couch, and brooded for a few seconds while everyone else talked about the fight that I’d had earlier that day. I let it go for about a minute before I shook my head.
