Rock's Redemption(Insurgents MC Romance Book 8)(17)

Rock slipped his phone in his pocket, lit up a joint, and watched the  sun begin its descent. He wondered if she was watching it too.





Chapter Six





On Saturday at one thirty in the afternoon, nine Harleys roared past the  iron gates and up the driveway. The idling engines had an uneven,  syncopated cadence that crashed through the quiet in the exclusive  neighborhood. When they switched off their ignitions, the quiet returned  except for the clink of swinging chains from jeans and the clomping of  steel-toed boots on the pavement.

When they arrived at the front of the house, Rock said, "This is a  meeting of a bunch of rich guys, so we gotta be on extra alert. I'll do  both inside and out, alternating with Jax. Chas and Rags can be inside  and the rest of you will be outside. Make sure all the exits are  covered. If there's a problem, use the remotes." The men nodded their  acquiescence and then spread out to man their posts.

Rock rang the buzzer, his stomach tightening. He fucking hated the way  his body was doing weird shit over a woman. A tall man dressed in a  black suit opened the door and ushered in the three men. Chas and Rags  whistled under their breaths as they stood in the enormous marbled  foyer. "My whole fuckin' house could fit in here," Chas said under his  breath. The butler's forehead creased in annoyance.

"You want us to wait for Blair here?" Rock asked.

"Yes. Mister Blair will be down shortly." The thin man slipped away.

"Guess we're not fuckin' good enough to go to the living room or  whatever the hell it's called." Rags's head went back. "How many feet do  you think that fuckin' chandelier is?"

"Who the fuck cares?" grumbled Rock.

"Thirty feet, and obviously your colleague cares," a cool, detached voice said.

Without turning around, Rock knew it was Frederick. He was getting sick  and tired of the asshole popping up out of nowhere. He turned slowly to  him. "I think each of us should cover an exit."

A smile twitched on Frederick's thin lips. "You'd need double the men you have for that."

"I got men outside. We'll cover what they don't inside." Rock wanted to  slam the dude against a wall when he saw the look of disdain in his eyes  as he ran them over the biker.

"My colleagues will be here soon. I will need your services until they leave." His tone was dismissive.

"Let's go and check this out." Rock walked away from him without a glance.

After the men checked out the entire first floor, Rock placed Chas at  the back of the house where triple French doors opened onto a veranda  overlooking a well-manicured lawn. Rags took the north side, and Rock  stayed in the front by the foyer. From that viewpoint, he could watch  the other rooms. The woman of the house was glaringly absent.

At two o'clock five gentlemen appeared dressed in khaki pants with  sports shirts. They carried briefcases and greeted Frederick as he  walked into the foyer from one of the rooms. The host escorted the men  to the dining room where they sat down and began their power meeting.

Rock expected the woman to show up and serve the drinks, but the butler  seemed to be the one in charge of doing it. I wonder if she's at home.  Maybe he had her go shopping while he and his buddies decide how to fuck  up the economy and start wars.

After thirty minutes, Rock contacted Jax on the remote and told him to  come to the house so they could switch positions. He wanted to do a  perimeter check to make sure everything was cool. The amount of wealth  in the room was staggering, and he could understand why Blair wanted  security during their meeting. The risk of a home invasion, kidnapping,  or worse was too high.

It took a long time to walk the grounds, but he wanted to make sure they  were secured. When he came around the backside of the mansion he  stopped. He sensed her at the fringes of his awareness, felt her  pull-like magnet to steel. He took a deep breath and looked up, and  there she was on the second floor, leaning against a small window, her  gaze locked with his. For a long moment they were tied together through  silence and anticipation. Then she turned away and was gone. Rock licked  his lips and took a couple gulps of air while he tried to clear his  head, then quickened his pace to finish up his round.

When he entered the house again, he headed for the massive circular  stairway leading up to her. As he climbed up, Frederick's voice echoed  in the foyer. "Stop! You're not allowed up there."

"I'm just doing my job in making sure everything is secured."

"It's not necessary to go upstairs. Just check the main floor and the grounds. The second and third stories are private."                       
       
           



       

Reluctantly Rock turned around and headed down, each step heavier in the  knowledge that he was going farther away from her. It fuckin' kills me  to know she's up there and I'm down here. Is it killing her too? She was  definitely staring at me, but maybe she'd have stared at Wheelie, or  Chas, or any of the guys. I'm worse than a pussy. I'm a fuckin' pussy  sissy.

"You want me to go back outside?" Jax asked as Rock hit the bottom of the stairs.

"Hold on for a few. I'm gonna check out all the doors and windows. We  shoulda had more guys for this job." Rock marched around the house,  making sure everything was locked and not tampered with. This house is  so fuckin' big it's taken me almost an hour to check everything out.  Give me my room at the club anytime. As he came back to the foyer, he  saw Frederick and the woman walking down the stairs, his hand holding  hers. Rock held his breath, but the moment she saw him she bowed her  head again, her hair covering her face. No way, darlin'. One way or  another, I'm gonna see you before I leave.

As they passed Rock and Jax, Frederick said to the woman, "Fix us lunch  and bring the drinks, pet." He escorted her into the dining room, the  men standing as she came to the table. Rock doubted that the group was  in the lifestyle, and Frederick acted differently with her this time  than he had the last time the bikers had been there.

She took their drink orders and then served the drinks, telling them  she'd be out in a little bit to serve lunch. In less than twenty minutes  she placed a bright seafood salad on the table, a plate of croissants,  small bowls of lemon and lime wedges, and a platter of watermelon,  cantaloupe, and berries. She refilled the glasses with white wine.

"Leave the bottle here, pet. I'll pour the wine. Why don't you start cleaning the kitchen?"

"Yes, S-I mean, Frederick." She rushed out of the room.

Rock came close to Jax. "I'm gonna check around again," he said in a  hushed voice. He went the other way, knowing from his earlier security  check that he could enter the kitchen from the other side of the house.

As he approached the kitchen his heart pounded against his ribs. Calm  the fuck down. What's up with you, pussy? He stood in the doorway,  admiring the way she looked in her knit dress as she bent over to put  dishes in the washer, her lovely hair free-flowing.

"Need some help?" His voice came out louder than he wanted.

She whipped her head up, her back to him, stiff and straight. "No. You  have to go." She glanced sideways out the door leading to the dining  room.

"He's eating. He won't bother us. I wanna talk to you."

"Why can't you leave me alone?" she whispered, her voice hitching.

"I don't know."

An uneasy silence fell over them.

"How've you been?" Rock asked gently.

"Fine," she muttered. "I can't talk to you."

"Why not? Because he tells you not to? You're a grown woman. You can decide for yourself."

"I can't." Her voice was so low he could barely hear her. The few words  they had spoken between them had always been in hushed tones, as though  she were speaking from the shadows that lurked around her.

"Okay, but before I go I want to see your face," he blurted.

She gasped. "No."

Without arguing, he was beside her in a couple long strides, spinning  her to face him. She didn't resist; it was like she'd been waiting for  this moment since their breaths had first shared the same air. He  lightly moved her hair from her face and placed his finger under her  chin, tilting her head back so he could see her. He scanned her face and  his gaze fell on her big shimmering green eyes. Beautiful eyes that  reminded him of-Clotille!

"Fuck. It's you, Clotille, isn't it?"

She nodded then smiled.

"No wonder you were hiding your face. I'd never forget your eyes. What the fuck are you doing in Aspen with this asshole?"

She touched the base of her neck. "Please don't tell Frederick we know  each other. He's very jealous." She wrung her hands as she glanced out  the door again. "Do you live in Aspen?"

"Pinewood Springs. I've been here since I got outta prison."

"I heard you left Lafayette. I didn't know where you'd had gone."