After seeing how clean Weasel’s room was, she had been tempted to throw all the trash inside there. Instead, she had dumped it all, and whatever could be kept, she had sent to charity. Everything personal like CDs, and DVDs, she’d placed on a shelf in the sitting room.

Even she was impressed with how good the house was but then she’d always been able to clean. Renee hated mess and had driven her brother crazy with how much she loved to clean.

Once Vengeance had complained that she used too much bleach and that it was burning his nostrils. She had ignored him until he finally snapped and threw out all her bleach. She’d been using six bottles a week and had decided to make a cutback.

“You like it then?” she asked, putting a large plate in front of him. She left, grabbing a steak and a potato for herself.

The apple pie was her weakness. She loved baking, and apple pie was a recipe she had perfected. Had Vengeance got someone else to make him apple pie? She didn’t know why that hurt but then again, she didn’t have the right to comment.

“Did you have a safe trip?” she asked.

“I did. I’m alive. If there’s no new holes, then it went fucking well.” He took a bite out of his steak and sat back. “I forgot how good you could cook. That is so fucking juicy.” He took another bite and she watched as his eyes closed. The rapture was clear on his face.

She ate her own food.

“The house looks fantastic. I thought for a second that I had gone into the wrong house.”

She laughed. “You’re a pig, Weasel. I will grant you, there were no rats but the spiders were enough to make my skin crawl.” She chewed on her steak and stared at him.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

“Don’t start. You’ve got that look that says you’re thinking something and you’re worried about telling me. Just spit it out.”

She licked the sauce off her lips, and when she glanced back at Weasel he was staring at them. “Your room.”

His gaze moved back to hers. “What about it?”

“Your entire house was completely trashed and yet your room was perfect.”

“You went into my room?” he asked.

“Why was it clean?” She didn’t like the way her body responded at his close proximity. The few days he’d been away, she had missed him. Cleaning his place didn’t help much either. She spent most of her time going through all his stuff. The pictures, the trinkets filled with memories—it had all brought back everything that she had been missing, and she hated it.

This distance between her, her brother, and the club had been down to herself. There was no one else to blame.

There had been a picture in Weasel’s drawer in his office. She had left the image shut away but it had brought back so much feeling. The picture had been taken at one of the final bonfire parties before she met Jake. Everything had been perfect. She and Vengeance were happy. She was going to college and working at the local diner.

The picture had been taken by Weasel in a selfie-style pose of the three of them. His arm had been around her shoulders, and he’d pulled her close, pressing his lips against her cheek.

She remembered the moment clearly, as it had been a turning point for her. Weasel inspired so many feelings, so much yearning, and she knew without a doubt that there was no hope for either of them. Weasel never looked at her like a man did a woman.

However, when she had licked her lip, there had been a fire in his gaze, almost as if he wanted to touch where her tongue had. No, it had to have been a mistake. She was imagining things again.

Pushing her thoughts to one side, she stared at Weasel.

“I don’t like sleeping in a dirty room.”

“But the rest of the house?”

“It didn’t matter, Renee. The club didn’t visit here. This was a dumping ground, and I didn’t care about it. It was an … impulse buy. That’s all this was. You did an amazing job as well. I won’t dump shit around the house anymore.”

Something was going on here, and she didn’t know what it was. “I like your house, and I’ve even gotten started on the garden. I mowed the front lawn yesterday, and I’ve been working through the back. Did you know there are random beer bottles thrown everywhere?” she asked.

“Yeah, I do. I told you, this was a dumping ground.” He shrugged. “How are things with you and Vengeance?”

“They’re … good. All things considered. I’m so pleased I came back home.” She finished her food and put her knife and fork down. “I also missed you while I was away.” There, she had said it, admitted it.

Weasel stared at her. “Do you have any idea how many times I wanted you to come home? The long nights that I worried that something had happened to you.”

“I’m sorry.”

He put the knife and fork down. “You were my family too, Renee. I didn’t want you to leave. You know that. I asked you, and I called you. Does Vengeance know about that?”

She shook her head. She had ignored all the calls, the texts, and then the voicemail messages. Weasel wouldn’t give up. No matter how many times Jake told her to ditch her phone and buy a new one, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Hearing Weasel’s voice had gotten her through, and she felt like the biggest fool around. Instead of coming home, she had kept on going, hating her life, and then when she wanted to come home, she couldn’t. She had waited to hear from Vengeance before coming back.

“I’m sorry, Weasel.”

He stood up and left the table. She felt his hurt and wished she could do something to change that.