14. Matías

14

MATíAS

P arker was soaking up all the attention from the class.

All except for one girl.

Whoever she was, she was Rita's favorite. It was obvious in her smiles and the way Rita glanced at her.

While Parker caused a scene with his smartass jokes and sarcastic smirks, Rita was having a hell of a time in the corner with Esteban and the girl.

Crowded around the bike, Esteban spoke quietly, head bent toward the girl, who looked at him like he was the best thing since underwear. Even Rita seemed mesmerized by what he was saying.

I strained to hear what he was telling them, but all I could hear was Parker's voice and feminine giggles. Nothing from that side of the room.

Somehow, the girls made a complete circle around both of us. I couldn't get through if I wanted to.

Then Esteban smiled at Rita and she melted.

I couldn't take it. Knowing they'd slept together. Knowing I pushed her to that. Or that she'd been avoiding me since the night of the funeral.

Suddenly, there was an opening right in front of me and I took it. Sidestepping another girl, I made it even farther away from Parker and closer to Rita.

She glanced up, and her jaw set.

That was fine. I'd take her anger any day over her absence. What kind of fucking hypocrite did that make me?

She said something to Esteban, then like a hole in the bottom of a boat, all the steel and anger leaked slowly out of her face. She turned away, as if looking at me physically pained her.

My heart was breaking right in front of me and I couldn't get to her fast enough. A couple girls stepped in my way, but not to get my attention. They didn't notice me at all as they huddled together and whispered about how cute Parker was.

I was five feet away when she started backpedaling and then she was gone. Running from the room and heading out a side entrance.

"Fuck," I cursed under my breath and started to sprint after her.

Esteban popped up in front of me, and I almost bowled him over.

"Not a fucking chance." He planted a hand in my chest and knocked me back.

At first, I didn't acknowledge him, dead set on getting to Rita. Making sure she was okay, and letting her know once and for fucking all that I was here to stay.

I wasn't going to run. I wasn't going to leave her behind. Not again.

Never again .

Dodging to the side, I tried to get around Esteban but he stepped in my path again. As the door slammed behind Rita, I moved my attention to Esteban. His brows were dark slashes over his eyes as his top lip peeled back from his teeth.

"Did you hear what I said?"

All of the despair and regret that stretched inside me like gum, filling up even the darkest crevices, started to recede as my body vibrated for a different reason.

Like the other night, all my thoughts turned to putting this kid on his ass. She wasn't meant for him. She was mine.

"If you don't get out of my way, I'll make you." It was low, but a gasp from a girl close by meant it wasn't as quiet as I thought.

"Threaten me all you want, but you're not going to chase after Rita when she doesn't want you." He shook his head.

His words only threw fuel on the fire raging in my gut. My instincts said that this man was the reason she didn't want to see me. He was why she ran out on me.

Logically, I knew that wasn't it, but his face was right there.

"That's not your call." I sidestepped again.

He followed.

"I will fucking lay you out. You're in my brothers’ business. You don't have anyone to back you up. Move."

He laughed like I told a joke. Then he spit on the floor. "Doesn't matter if I have my club here or not. Rita's a Dirty Dog before she ever worked here. I'll protect her to my last breath."

"Because you want her. Not because she's a Dirty Dog," I said bitterly.

His mouth kicked up at the corners. He enjoyed this. Delaying me. Every second that Rita got farther away, singed my mind. Yet I craved to put Esteban in his place .

"Okay. We'll say it's both."

"She's not yours," I spat. Fuck, she wasn't mine either. But she was going to be.

His smile started to die. "Keep telling yourself whatever lies you want, but she isn't yours."

Again, I tried to get around him and he blocked my way. I made an agitated sound in the back of my throat. "What the fuck do you want?"

"What do I want?" His voice rose and he crowded me. "I want you to disappear like you did before. I want you to fuck off to another country and leave Rita alone. She doesn't deserve your brand of fucked up. You want to make her happy? Do what you always do, you fucking coward, and run ."

I reared back, but before I could let it loose, Parker caught my fist. "Not in front of the children." He tutted. "Take it outside, boys."

Spinning toward him, I threw an arm out toward Esteban. "You're not going to kick him out?"

He eyed Esteban. "Unfortunately, no. Rita's fond of him and Little Love is fond of Rita. As much as it pains me, this is a lover's spat you'll have to figure out on your own. I will however ask that you both leave." He raised his brows.

"Fuck this," I muttered and pushed past Esteban. He didn't try to stop me. Probably because Parker told us to leave and no matter what club he was part of, you didn’t ignore one of the Bastard Brothers on their property.

As soon as we went through the side door, which dropped us into a back hallway, he gripped my arm and spun me around.

"What is your problem?" I yelled in his face. "I'm not running. I'm not letting her go. You can fuck off! You're just a kid who doesn't understand anything. "

"I understand plenty! I know you care more about your brothers and their woman than Rita. I know you had more fear for your father than you had love for Rita. It all comes down to that, doesn't it? Everything matters more than Rita!"

Each word pelted me, and I couldn't stop the flinches. As grim as he was, satisfaction slithered through his expression.

"I'm not letting her go. I won't. And I'm not explaining myself to you." I started to turn, but an ugly part of my soul had me twisting back. "And you? What about you, Esteban? The guy who can't be taken seriously because he's such a flirt? The guy I didn't even have on my radar because you didn't fucking matter. The only reason you made it to Rita's bed was because I had to step back–for her safety." He tensed and that same sick satisfaction that he probably felt settled in my stomach like hot acid. "Whatever you think this is between you two, it's not real. She's using you to get back at me, or hell, maybe to get over me. If that wasn't the case, she wouldn't have fucked me the other night."

There was no change in his expression. None.

He knew it. Or suspected it, and it didn't make one bit of fucking difference to him.

I wasn't lying to him. I had always known who he was since he joined the club. I liked him in a distant sort of way. Yet, as long as he stood in my way to Rita, I had no pity for him. He was the obstacle to my happiness, and Rita's.

I hope Rita's . I swallowed.

But if Rita truly didn't want me, I would leave. For her.

That wasn't true for the same exact reason I explained to him. We would not have fucked if she felt nothing. She would not have begged me to take her.

It was on me to make this right, and that was what I was going to do .

When I left this time, he let me go, staying on my heels every step of the way.

My brothers hadn’t had this building before I left. Am and Rita hadn’t been in business together. But when Andre brought me here, I knew how valuable this building was. Since coming back for Rita, I'd learned this place like the back of my hand.

Not only to have a better chance of catching Rita, but because I didn't have anything else better to do. Part of me also liked seeing where Rita spent most of her time.

The first place I looked for her was her office. It was locked. Not surprising.

I headed to the garage next. Esteban stayed with me the entire time. Instead of starting a fight, I let him follow me. It was more important to find Rita than it was to trade verbal jabs with him.

Parker was right, we couldn't fight here. Rita would hate that more than me tracking her down. She cared about these girls and she wouldn't want them to see us scrapping on the ground like scum.

"Damn it." I pulled my hair on the sides of my head. Her car was gone.

I pulled the keys out of my pocket and got in the car I'd taken over since I came home. My brothers didn't seem to mind. They had plenty to go around.

Esteban jumped on his bike and followed me.

What? Did he expect me to try and hurt her? Or did he want to play hero in front of her?

Grinding my teeth, I watched him stay on my ass in the rearview mirror as I drove to her house. She was close to Dirty Dogs territory. Between the few apartment buildings they owned. It gave her a sense of privacy while still protecting her .

Her garage was closed, but there was movement through the front window. She was home.

I parked on the sidewalk right in front of her house. Slamming my door shut, I jogged up the steps. Esteban stopped behind my car but he had to take off his helmet and get off his bike. I had at least ten seconds before he tackled me.

Fuck, he was already coming for me.

Turning around, I picked up the pace but skidded to a halt.

Rita opened her door. She hadn't been here long since she was still dressed in the tight sleeveless dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. Her hair was still down in thick glossy curls. Even her lips still had that vibrant red she loved.

That was the thing with Rita. She loved dressing up. But she loved being comfortable more. Whenever she was home more than five minutes, her armor all came off. Did Esteban know that?

I didn't dare look away. She was too much of a vision. I couldn't take my eyes off her if I tried.

But it was the pain that got me. Rita watched me with so much pain and hate twisting on her face it stole my breath. This wasn't what I wanted.

"What are you doing here?" she seethed.

"You've been avoiding me," I said, my voice thin and raspy as I carefully moved closer.

Esteban had stopped running behind me and now he was breathing down my neck. Probably waiting for the word from Rita to eject me from the property.

"So you show up at my house? It's not like you to force yourself on a woman." She crossed her arms and cocked out a hip .

I grimaced as memories assaulted me. Of what my father had condoned. What my uncle had done. What I'd witnessed and loathed my entire life.

The hardness in her expression wavered but she firmed it back up.

"What do you want?" she asked the very question I'd thrown at Esteban.

"To talk." I pulled my shoulders back and sucked in a deep breath. This was it. She'd give me five minutes to lay it all out. Then I'd make her see how this was different. How I wouldn't make the same mistakes I had before.

A cattiness I'd only seen a handful of times flickered over her face. Her gaze moved to Esteban behind me and then back to me.

"You want to stay? I'm not in the mood to talk." Before I could process what she meant, she crooked a finger at Esteban and motioned him closer. He went, like the fucking dog he was. He stopped on the bottom step, and she cupped his face like he was precious.

Dipping closer, she kept her gaze on me as she pressed her lips to his. It was a sensual slide. So fast, it was over almost before it started.

I schooled my expression. Everything Vicente had taught me came down to this moment.

My stomach rolled but I would not show it.

When she stepped back, she pulled a disgusted face and shook her head.

"Get out of here. I need to take care of Dirty Dogs business and it's no place for you."

She went back inside, leaving the door open. Esteban slipped inside after her. Neither of them glanced back as the door shut .

I did the only thing I could do. With my head held high, I walked back to my car, and drove the fuck away from here.