Sinner (Shelter Harbor #1)(76)
“Manners, you prick,” he growls. “I’m just here for a reminder that your rate’s going up.”
“You came all the way here to tell me that again?”
“Rowan.” Rich spreads his arms. “We both know you’re not exactly the type to do what he’s supposed to do.” He nods at her again, grinning as his eyes slide over her.
“Case and point. Figured you’d need some reminding.”
He looks past me at Eva again and whistles lowly. “Man. This is almost too perfect. Preacher’s son meets preacher’s daughter? The only boy who could ever reach you, huh sweetheart?” He chuckles and starts to whistle the Dusty Springfield tune.
“Doesn’t look like you two are exactly studying the good book up here now does it?” His eyes land on her again and narrow. “What’s your name again, cutie?”
He starts to advance, and I can feel her freeze behind me before something inside of me just snaps. I roar as I lunge into Rich, knocking him to the ground. Eva’s screaming as I land with my legs aside him, my fist raised in the air.
Not like I get a chance to swing it.
Gus lunges forward, yanking me off of his boss and chucking me against the wall with a thudding sound that makes my head spin. I grunt, blindly scrambling for my feet before Gus sinks a fist into my gut. Eva cries out again as Gus gets one more across my mouth, before backing off and swearing.
“Goddamnit, Rowan, I warned you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I cough, wincing. “Yeah, you did.”
Rich stands, dusting his suit off. “You always were a hot head you little shit.” His eyes narrow at Eva again before dropping back to me. “Rate just went up another one and a half percent, you little fucker.” He dusts his suit jacket again. “I’ll bill you for the goddamn dry-cleaning.”
He looks back at Eva and wags his brows. “You ever wanna show me what you look like praying on your knees, you come find me, all right?”
I roar and start to rise, but Gus stops me with a firm hand on the shoulder and a shake of his head. “Stay down, Row,” he says quietly.
Rich strolls over to my fridge and pulls out a beer. He opens it and tosses the cap back at me. “Thanks for the drink, buddy.”
The door slams behind them, and I sink against the wall with a groan.
Eva’s gasping as she drops to my side, her hands cupping my jaw. “Jesus, are you-”
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” I grumble, wincing as I slowly stand.
“God, your head.”
She runs to the fridge and grabs a bag of frozen peas from the freezer before coming back to my side.
“Eva, I’m fine.”
“Well, I don’t know how to tell you this, but you sort of look like you just got punched in the face.”
I grin, laughing before I wince all over again. I take the bag and put it against my head.
“Are you okay?”
She nods. “Yeah.”
“I’m sorry about that. You really shouldn’t have seen that.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
“It sort of liked like more than nothing.”
I shake my head, turning to look at her. “I don’t want to tell you.”
“Why not?” She frowns.
“Because you’re too good.”
She smiles wryly. “So good that I’m apparently slumming it with you, huh?”
“You know what I mean. You’re good, Eva, and this is the sort of shit that follows guys like me around that you shouldn’t have anything to do with.”
“So tell me, so I know to look out for it next time.”
My lips curl slightly in a grin. “When exactly did the little church girl get so sassy and tenacious?”
“Maybe you just bring it out in me.”
I smile and shake my head, looking away. “Rich is just a parasite. A loan shark. I needed money to open this place — way more than people thought. My dad’s an investor, but that was a drop in the bucket. Rich funded the rest, but,” I shake my head. “It’s a moot point, because at the rate he’s bleeding me, there’s not going to be a bar left for me to owe him on.”
“What happened the night of your leg?”
I stiffen.
“Sorry,” she says quietly. “That’s none of my business.”
“I was eighteen,” I say slowly, turning to look at her. “The summer before I was supposed to go off to college. I got mixed up with the wrong people — decided I needed something more I guess.”
She nods and I reach down and slip my fingers into hers.
“You met Silas. Well, his Uncle Declan was — is — bad news. He’s in jail now, but back then, he and his crew used to pull hit and run jobs.”