Chapter 10
Briar
I’m no stranger to pacing. I get most of my best thinking done while walking the length of my room over and over. It’s the blood on my knuckles without a victim lying at my feet that’s the concern right now. The hole in the sheetrock I won’t be able to explain with honesty is also another matter I refuse to address presently.
Bugging the vet’s office with audio and video seemed like a great idea twenty minutes ago, but the functioning part of my brain reminded me that I’m supposed to be letting her go, not obsessing over what she’s doing with that dick-bag.
I huff.
“I never even had her to begin with,” I mutter as I spin and walk again. “What the fuck does she even know about this asshole?”
That thought has me moving. It gives me purpose as I swing open my bedroom door and rush down the hall.
“What’s up?” Boston asks when I pull the door to the office open so hard it clangs against the wall only to swing back and whack me in the arm.
Ignoring him, I focus on Virus. He’s bent over a laptop, uncaring that I just stormed in the office. Seems he’s settled in nice.
“Give us a minute,” I say to Boston without looking in his direction.
“I was just going for a fresh cup of coffee anyway.”
I clear my throat to get Virus’s attention once we’re alone and the door is closed.
Brazenly, he holds up a finger to get me to pause before returning his nimble fingers to the keyboard. Either this guy is stupid, or he has nuts the size of the damn sun. Still, I wait until he presses a final key, and his eyes look up to mine.
“Important things going on?” I nod in the direction of his computer.
“I’ve been trying to beat that level on Toon Blast for days.”
I could punch the smirk off his damn face right now. As if having one incredibly immature bastard around wasn’t enough, this asshole just jumped TJ in childish behavior.
“Did you get the info I asked about earlier?” I grit, determined not to break his nose until I get what I need.
His fingers work over the keys again.
“Owen Marcus Andrews, thirty one year old veterinarian. He’s squeaky clean.” His eyes narrow as he reads info on the screen. “He has no arrest record to speak of. Drives a black Tesla. His social media posts aren’t bad, nothing political, mostly just cute animals. He donates to many local and national charities. His practice is paid for from a trust he got when his grandmother died. No debt at all. From what I can tell, he doesn’t casually date. Had one girlfriend in high school, Stephanie Wiley. She’s a little homely if you ask me.”
“I didn’t,” I spit.
My outburst doesn’t faze him.
“They had an amicable split before they each went to different schools. What’s this?” His eyes narrow slightly. “He did get a ticket from the city for not maintaining his lawn last year.”
“Asshole.” It’s all I got for this perfect guy.
“Oh, wait. He was in the Gulf helping save wildlife after a tanker explosion caused an oil spill. The city dismissed the ticket when he returned.”
“What is he? A fucking priest?”
“Nope. From the looks of it, he had a change of heart after his first semester in seminary school.”
“Seriously?” I walk around the desk to look at Virus’s computer, but from the angle I’m at the screen isn’t visible with the privacy screen in place.
“Not really, but it wouldn’t surprise me. Why do you need this info?”
“What else is there?” I ask ignoring his question.
“I have his college transcripts if you want to dig deeper, but this guy seems pretty perfect. Thinking of investing with him? Doesn’t seem like the type to roll over when he’s pressured to launder money or some shit if that’s where your head is at.”
“Molly is working for him,” I answer, caving with minimal information to keep him from digging any deeper into the whys.
“Prez’s sister?” His brow furrows. “I thought that chick was yours?”
The growl that erupts from my throat is enough to make his eyes wide.
“I’m not pushing up on your territory man,” he assures me. “I haven’t laid eyes on the chick.”
My anger simmers, rumbling right under the surface, begging me to let it escape to release some of the damn agitation that has been building since I walked in on my fucking best friend handing a box of condoms to my girl.
Not my girl, I remind myself.
“As the sister of both the president and enforcer of the Ravens Ruin, it’s my job to make sure that she’s safe.”
Virus smiles. “Awesome.” He waves his hand up and down indicating my stiff stature. “I almost believed that. Repeat it about a million times in front of the mirror, and maybe a blind man would believe you.”
“Did you forget what happened to your old club president?” He shakes his head, not an ounce of fear in his eyes. “You know I could kill you and no one would blink?”
“Bury me with my computer, and I’ll go to hell happy.” His grin is both agitating and refreshing. He’s the perfect fucking fit for this damn club, even if I’d never tell him that to his face.
“Find more on that bastard,” I demand as I turn toward the door. “No one is that squeaky clean.”
“Aye aye Captain,” he mocks to my back as I leave the office and head to the bar.
Ten in the morning or not, a cold fucking beer is about the only thing that sounds good right now. I drain the damn thing the second the prospect shoves it in my hand. I wave at him to give me another before I can do what my head is telling me. I don’t imagine Molly would be very happy if I showed up and sat in the waiting room at the vet’s office until she got off work, and I’d bet she’d be livid if I insisted on tagging along on her date with the perfect fucking vet.
“I know that look,” TJ says as I carry my beer across the room and fall onto the couch. “Did you interrupt the birds and bees talk between Molly and Lynch?”
Looking over at him, I’m surprised to find a flat and mildly agitated look on his normally playful face.
“If it helps, he insisted I get the variety pack after looking at his picture online. I think he suspects the poor doctor is single because he’s got a micro-peen.”
I refuse to engage with him. He’s been in a shitty mood for weeks. His phone has replaced club whore pussy, and all he does is stare down at the motherfucker and grow agitated. He seems to find joy these days in pissing others off around him.
“If that’s the case,” he continues without being prompted like the asshole he is. “Even if she fucks him, you may still have a shot at her cherry.”
Standing, my half-full beer drops to the floor, rolling out of the way and leaving a trail of bubbles in its wake.
“That’s your fucking sister you’re talking about you piece of shit.”
“True,” he says with a smirk, completely unaffected by my outburst. First Virus, now TJ? I’m losing my fucking touch. “But what is she to you?”
My jaw snaps shut with such force my eyes sting.
“Think about that, why don’t you?”
His eyes narrow when an alert sounds from his phone. Looking down, his face goes from dickhead instigator to red-hot fury.
“I swear to fucking God,” he curses as he stands and makes for the front door.
“Something you need help with?” I ask to his back.
“Nothing I can’t handle on my own,” he mutters before slamming the front door behind him. The aggressive roar of his bike echoes around the living room before fading off into the distance. He’s been doing that a lot lately as well.
“I think he’s got another girl outside of the clubhouse.”
I don’t even bother turning my head to acknowledge Legs. Even with the sadness in her voice, I can’t focus on anything but my own damn problems right now.
“Do you need a shoulder to cry on, baby?” Ronan swoops in to save the day with a huge grin on his face.
Legs giggles, not one to dwell on disappointment long, and they disappear down the hallway together.
Unable to sit idle any longer, I grab a set of keys off of the rack near the door and head out to one of the trucks. I drive all day long, putting distance between myself and Sutton, but just like the lonely fool that I am, I end up parked across the street from the fucking vet clinic just in time to see Molly’s smiling face in the window as she turns off the open sign.
It takes everything in me not to climb out of the truck and slash every damn tire on his fucking Tesla.