The man stands, a looming presence over both of us before leaning in to press a swift kiss to Izzy’s temple.
“Get some sleep, sweetheart. You have that exam tomorrow.”
And that answers any questions I have about how involved he is in her life. If the man knows his grown daughter’s school schedule, then he’s aware of a lot more than I initially thought.
Thankfully, he leaves the room long enough to tell Gigi what his plans are.
“You look disappointed,” I whisper as I round the table and help Izzy to her feet.
“That evident?”
“If you poked those pouty lips out any further, you’d trip on them on the way up the stairs.”
“You made me a promise.”
“I did,” I agree. “And I plan to keep it. Goodnight and good luck on your test tomorrow.”
I press my lips to her forehead and immediately step back. Being close to her right now is hard enough. Lingering isn’t an option. I walk away, waiting for Hound on the front porch as Izzy heads up to her room.
“Ready?” he says as he steps outside.
“I don’t even know what we’re doing.” I try and fail to hide the disappointment in my voice, but at least with Izzy not close, I’ve managed to get better control of my erection. The cool night breeze helps as well.
“Come on,” he urges, stepping off the porch and heading in the direction of the clubhouse.
My feet itch to run, my head going crazy with thoughts of what’s going to happen. Hound is a good man, as is every other man that wears a Cerberus leather cut, but I’m not a club issue. What’s happening between Izzy and me is personal. The intimacy of that situation doesn’t mean Hound won’t use the club to get his point across.
Even with that in my head, I follow the man across the street, knowing the entire club could be over here waiting to kick my ass. When he turns left instead of going inside the clubhouse, it doesn’t ease my fears. If an ass kicking is what he thinks I deserve, I’ll take it on the chin. I’d be furious if someone put my own daughter in the same position I’ve put Izzy in.
When it was only sex, before I walked away that night with a heaviness in my chest for doing so, it didn’t seem such a bad situation. Getting laid on my lunch break? Sign me up twice.
But things are different now, and not just because we’re living so close together and I’m stuck on the property. Izzy is an amazing woman, one I could honestly see spending the rest of my life with if the situation was a little different. Even if she wasn’t pregnant with my kid, if I wasn’t going to prison, I’d pursue that woman with everything I have.
The Cerberus garage, one Lawson spent most of his time in when we first arrived, is empty. It’s not teeming with angry men ready to help their friend seek justice for the devious things I did with Hound’s daughter.
“You’ve been helping Lawson at the shop.”
“I have.”
Coming home with grease on my hands and rebuilding motorcycles was never my idea of fun, but sitting idle and doing nothing isn’t something I’m interested in either. Lawson is paying me to work, and that helps me to feel productive. I’m going to need commissary money for as long as I’m able to stay alive in prison, and that’s not a bill I’ll allow anyone else to foot.
“Other than working in the shop with him, do you have any other experience with shopwork? Electrical, machinist? That sort of thing?”
“Lawson is the mechanic. I’ve never had much interest in it.”
“That’s going to change over the next couple of weeks.”
“Okayyy.” I drag out the word because I have no idea what the purpose of any of this is.
“You’re going to prison.” His eyes meet mine. “At least that’s my understanding.”
He’s saying more than he thinks he is. He knows my stance on what happened. He knows what my decision is.
“I am.”
He nods before turning back around to point at a machine that looks too complicated to be in an average person’s garage.
“I’m going to teach you as much as you can learn. I’ll need you to clear your head and focus. It’s going to come in handy once you’re inside.”
“Come in handy?”
“New Mexico offers many different jobs in the system. You’ll need to work. Not only will it keep you busy so time goes by faster, but the shop has many options for keeping you safe.”
He picks up a tire iron, holding it over his shoulder.
“And by safe, you mean to defend myself?”
“Exactly.”
I know what I’m facing in prison. I know inmates will come after me the second they find out who I am and what I did. I can’t really blame them. They were raised to hate the police. Some officers join the force for the power it gives them, and although that wasn’t my reason for joining, my desire to help people doesn’t exactly compute with killing a drunk driver in a rage.
I also know I’ll fight back if I have to. I’ll defend myself to the death. I have something, a little boy coming in less than six weeks, to live for.
“Let’s get started.”
We work for hours, leaving me so tired that when we finally cross the street again, I don’t have the energy to even look up at Izzy’s bedroom window.
Chapter 15
Isabella
“Hey, stranger.”
Drew lifts his tired eyes in my direction. “Hey. How are you?”
“I feel like I should be asking you the same thing.”
“Exhausted,” he sighs, his body melting into the sofa.
“I figured. What time did you get done last night?”
Dad has been keeping him busy in the garage, and when Dad isn’t showing him things, the other guys are there ready to pick up the slack.
“Just after two.”
“And then to work at eight this morning?”
He gives me a weak smile. “Yeah.”
“It’s too much. I’ll talk to him.”
“Don’t.” He reaches for my arm as if I were fixing to get up and have this discussion with my father right this very second. I couldn’t if I wanted. I’ve been banned from the house for the next couple of hours. Gigi’s due date is nearing and apparently they have ideas about how to jump-start her labor, ones they both assured me they didn’t think I’d want to hear. I’ve read the What to Expect book. I know what they’re over there doing, and it’s a disgrace seeing as how every man in the club, sans Apollo, has been cockblocking me since Drew made that promise two weeks ago.
“They’re helping me,” he assures me.
“I’ve hardly seen you,” I grumble, resigning myself to never having sex again, especially when it seems there isn’t a person around that is willing to give us a few minutes alone.
“We have dinner together every night.”
“It’s not the same. I want—”
He laughs. “I know exactly what you want.”
“The guys are gone. Dad is occupied.” I waggle my eyebrows suggestively. “Now is a good time.”
“Lawson and Delilah have Samson and Camryn over for dinner.”