Chapter Thirteen
Bruiser
“Why are we stopping?” Ignoring Rook to pull over on the side of the road, I turned off my bike and pulled off my helmet to shake my head wildly. Davey and Parker pulled up behind me, and I nudged Rook off my bike. Realization flashed in his eyes, his face closing like a brick wall as he pointed an accusatory finger at me. “Are you gonna leave me out here and make me walk back or somethin’?”
“No, but I will if I have to. Why’d you get sent down here, Rook?” Spyder spoke up from across the street, and we had Rook surrounded. We were in the middle of the desert, a dozen miles from anywhere, and he couldn’t take all of us on. Part of me hoped he’d fess the fuck up so we could figure out what to do next, but the reality was going to be different, I knew. “Your uncle’s paying me a fuck load more than I think you’re worth, so whatever you did, it must be bad.”
“I didn’t do anything! That bitch lied to save herself!” Almost immediately, Rook realized his mistake as his voice crackled through the quiet, still desert. Trembling fists tightened, white-knuckled, by his sides, and his shoulders curled sharply. Expectation hung heavy in the air, and I sat back in the saddle to pull out a pack of smokes from my pocket.
“What happened?” He was trapped, and he knew it; holding his head, Rook crouched down to bluster a huge sigh through his knees. Rocking back onto his ass, he scratched his scalp roughly as he geared himself up for a confession. I sparked a match, taking a deep breath of my cigarette and holding it.
“We were goin’ out, but she didn’t wanna tell her dad. He was some hot shot local politician and cared a lot about looks. After a while, I talked about movin’ in together. I loved her, but she said, ‘no, what will my father think,’ like I cared what he thought, “My throat tightened with a bitter laugh as Rook’s confession aligned perfectly with my suspicions, but I gulped it down. Of course, it was about a girl. I could still remember the first girl I thought I loved. Her face, though. Not her name.
“So, she broke up with you or somethin’? That doesn’t explain why you’re down here.” I stared down at Rook as he scowled bitterly and shook his head. “What’d you do?”
“I tried to convince her to at least hint to her dad that she was going out with someone. See what he would say. Feel him out. But she told me to fuck off. Screamed she didn’t love me anyway and was just using me for sex and some thrill. Told me she’d never risk her cushy life for me. Fuckin’ waste of four years.” It took every ounce of self-control not to choke on smoke in shock. Four fucking years? No wonder Rook was a fucking mess. Sharing a glance with Spyder, I scowled darkly, and he jerked his chin out. “I was so pissed. I was so fucking mad. She shoulda fucking left me if she didn’t wanna be with me. I woulda gotten over it eventually. But no . . . she used me, lied . . . said she loved me when she didn’t.”
“What’d you do, Rook?” Repeating himself, Spyder crossed his arms as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Did you out her?”
“Yeah. It might’ve been a secret, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have proof. My dad says that all the time, never do anything without proof you’ve done it. And he was mad, and then . . .” Trailing off, Rook held his head in his hands and blustered a tired, sad sigh. “She said I raped her. That I threatened to ruin her if she didn’t do what I wanted, gave this sob story of how she was so scared I’d kill her or whatever because we’re ‘poor, violent trailer trash’. You can guess who her dad believed. Even with the pictures, the texts, the truth stopped mattering the moment she said I forced her. So, that’s why my dad sent me down here.”
“That’s definitely a reason to flee the country. A false accusation like that doesn’t just go away. You’re guilty regardless if you did it or not. Murderers get treated better than guys that stick their dicks in crazy.” I rubbed the back of my neck as I spoke up, an automatic shiver of disgust and horror slithering up my spine. Floundering onto his back on the road, Rook flung out his arms and kicked his feet. “This all happened on our way up that day. Uncle Minter must’ve wanted you gone if they come lookin’ for you.”
“That explains why he paid us so much. He didn’t have time to negotiate and risk us saying no. I know you would’ve done it yourself, Bruiser, so why’d he involve the club?” Spyder’s gruff question had no answer I could see, and I shook my head under his questioning gaze. “I’m guessing you’ve got an idea about that, Rook?”
“I can never go back. Dad said it’ll follow me forever, even if she admits to lying. I’ll always be the guy that raped a politician’s daughter even though I didn’t. It’s bad for business, but also, the moment she said that, my life was over. My dad said that it’d be easy to explain away why I’m here if I joined you like Bruiser did.” I rolled my shoulders in a futile attempt to get away from the uncomfortable tightness. The silence was damning, and I took a deep breath of my cigarette and closed my eyes, flopping my head back to exhale. “It happened so fast. My dad doesn’t like you, but he trusts you. He
