Free Wild Rebels: A Biker Erotic Romance (Karthadossian Riders MC) by Emily Stone Page A

that was nothing. She was full on pissed off.”
     
    Turning his head so he could see his son’s face, Manny saw the light of desperation and fear in his gaze. “You’re worried she isn’t going to forgive you for keeping the truth from her.” It wasn’t a question, he could read the thought like it was written on a piece of paper.
     
    Rex hung his head. “Yeah, yeah I am.” He got up and began to pace off his frustration. “I don’t know what it is, but I can’t walk away from her.”
     
    Manny smiled, something he didn’t do often enough. Seeing his son suffering wasn’t funny, but realizing why he was suffering made him happy. Deep down, he was a ‘Happily Ever After’ guy.
     
    “You know, when your mom left I was pretty messed up. What did I know about raising a kid? Nothing, that’s what. I relied pretty heavily on letting you do whatever the hell you wanted and then punishing you after the fact. I was no parent. Ellie’s mom stepped in a few times and tried to help me, but I didn’t listen.” Manny tapped his forehead. “I got a pretty thick head and I don’t like anyone telling me I’m doing something wrong.”
     
    Rex had stopped his pacing and was staring at his dad like he’d grown a second head. He didn’t know this man. Prison usually made men like Manny harder, meaner, and less willing to show any emotion at all. So, what was all this?
     
    “You and Ellie were thick as thieves back then. The only time I saw you smile was when you were with her, playing like a normal kid, not a care in the world. That’s why I made sure that you two were together as often as possible. I might not have known jack about raising a kid, but I knew that Ellie made you happy.” Manny got up and stretched, knees popping. “Here in the past few days, I’ve seen that happiness come back to your face.”
     
    Walking away, Manny threw out one last thought. “Someone like Ellie—she’s worth fighting for.”
     
    For the longest time, Rex just stood there, taking in what his dad had said and wondering when the hell he’d stepped out of reality and into an episode of The Twilight Zone .
     
    ***
     
    Ellie never thought to check to see if Rex had actually left. A little after nine she heard an engine turn over in her drive and raced to the window in time to see him pulling out. When he turned his head to look back at her house, she quickly moved out from in front of the window. His face had been clearly visible, lined with worry and lack of sleep.
     
    He stayed out there the whole night. Even after she had told him to leave, he had been worried enough about her safety to stay and keep her from any harm from her dad and his minions. He could have gone, could have left her there alone to rely on the police to come quickly enough to save her, but he hadn’t.
     
    Within minutes, another truck pulled into her drive. She recognized the guy, an old timer from Manny’s club. It was obvious that no matter what she said, he wasn’t going to leave her unprotected.
     
    How was she supposed to deal with all this when the way she felt and the way she thought she should feel were in conflict with each other? Returning to her desk, she sat down and opened a new document on her laptop. When she was younger and something upset her she would type it out on her old IBM, not looking at what she typed, just letting the words flow. When she was done, she would go back and read what she’d put down and see if it made more sense.
     
    Closing her eyes, she let the words flow. Any and every thought went onto the screen. It was almost like being in a trance. When she finished, she looked at the clock. She had typed for over 30 minutes.
     
    Words, some badly misspelled and out of order, covered the screen. It didn’t take long for a theme to appear. Despite the fact that they were nearly strangers, that his dad and hers were mortal enemies and that he had lied to her about her dad being a psychopath—she was already in