Cypher pulled up, parking alongside the old beat-up truck in front of the house. She got off, peering around the property. It was heavily wooded with no neighbors but it backed up to the clubhouse. It was separated by a huge field and acres of land. She couldn’t even see the MC property from where she was standing.
When Cypher started toward the house, she rushed up beside him. She hadn’t planned on approaching him but given the opportunity, she’d take it. Ever since Wraith’s admission of being there the night Knox came to her house, she wondered who else had been there. It would’ve been easier to shift it to the back ofher mind and not consider any other possibilities. But the thought had plagued her over the last few days. Sometimes the truth, as hard as it was to hear, was necessary to heal.
“Cypher, can I ask you something?”
He stopped and turned to Cleo. “Yeah.”
She swallowed the knot in her throat. “Do you remember the first time we met?”
He furrowed his brows, scanning her face. Cleo held her breath, waiting.Say the hotel and not my house.
He grasped the back of his neck and shifted his eyes to the woods.
“We met up with you and Knox at that hotel off the highway.”
“S-so,” her voice shook and she cleared her throat. “That was the first time you ever saw me?”
Cypher glanced back at her, smirking. “Yeah, you were finishing up your breakfast in the room. French toast. Jekyll was pissed and bitching ‘cause all we got at our hotel was muffins and fruit. You offered him your last piece.”
I remember that.She exhaled as the relief spread through her body.
“He didn’t take it.”
“No,” he arched his brow. “But he appreciated it. And that’s why he’s got a soft spot for you.”
Jekyll’s demeanor could’ve easily been compared to Wraith’s. But he’d always been a little kinder to Cleo than the others. The few times he’d called the clubhouse from prison, she’d answered twice. She knew he had limited time so she was quick to hand off the phone to one of the brothers. But both times, he insisted on talking to her and asking how she was doing.
“That felt like a test.” Cypher snorted. “Did I at least fucking pass?”
Cleo smiled, fighting against her emotions and willing her tears to remain at bay. She nodded, not trusting herself to say anything.You passed, Cypher.
“Hang with Grizz for a while.”
“Okay,” she muttered. Grizz was sitting on his porch in one of the rockers. Cleo waved, and he dropped his chin in greeting, then pushed up from the chair and walked down the porch steps, meeting her on the gravel path. As far as she knew, Grizz had never been a member of the club, but he was close to all of them.
“Well, this is a surprise.”
“I tagged along with Cypher. I hope you don’t mind.”
He scoffed. “A pretty girl coming to visit me? I don’t get that a lot.”
Cleo chuckled.
He gestured down the path. “Wanna take a walk with me, sweetheart?”
I would love nothing more, Grizz.
Cleo wandered around the side of the house. She wasn’t sure how many acres he had. But it had to be in the triple digits. His house was large but dated. It was blue with white shutters and a wraparound front porch. It was perfect. She veered to the right, getting a better look at the property. There was a smaller dwelling, parallel with the main house, that had its own separate overgrown and unpaved driveway. There wasn’t a garage or carport. From the size, there couldn’t be more than two bedrooms, if that.
Before she could even ask, Grizz offered the details up.
“My Gran’s house.”
Cleo jerked her head, staring at the old house.
“My dad built it when she got too old to live on her own. She refused to move in with us. Probably a good thing. Her and my mama never did get along.” He smirked, looking over at Cleo and winked. “The only thing scarier than being in the center of a bar brawl with no backup is being between two strong-willed women who don’t see eye to eye.”
She couldn’t relate, but she was highly amused by the story. Cleo chuckled and tucked her hands in her pockets.
