Page 71 of Gang of Roses: Rebel

Her head snapped in my direction.

“What?”

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” she yelled back. “This bitch stole my money. She stole my future. Since she wanted to take everything from me, she can lose everything too.”

I dragged a hand down my face. “Rain, have you lost your damn mind?”

“Nope.”

She tipped the gas can again.

“Rain!”

“What?”

“Put the damn gas can down.”

“No. She took everything I worked for, Crow. Every damn dollar.”

The anger in her voice cracked for a split second, revealing the hurt underneath. That’s when I realized this wasn’t really about the money. It was about her dream. Anybody who knew Rebel knew she had been planning to open that tech company for years. I slowly walked toward her, careful not to make any sudden moves.

“Rain, baby.”

“I love you, Crow. But I am gonna kill this bitch.”

“I know you’re hurting.”

Her jaw tightened.

“You don’t know how this feels.”

I know what she did.”

“No, Crow. She didn’t just steal my money. She stole my way out.”

Her eyes filled with tears.

“I worked too damn hard for that money. I risked everything for it. Now it’s gone.”

My chest tightened.

“Rain...”

“And she gets to stand here in this big-ass house like nothing happened?” she continued, her voice cracking. “Like she didn’t ruin my whole fucking life?”

For a second, all I saw was a broken woman. Not the loudmouth fearless biker. Just the woman I loved, watching everything she’d worked for disappear overnight. Yeah, I understood. The problem was that understanding her pain and letting her destroy her own life were two very different things.

I took a few more steps toward Rebel before gently cupping her cheek. All I could see was the pain in her eyes, and it damn near broke me. I’d do anything to help her. Anything to keep her from making a decision she’d regret.

“I love you, and I can’t let you do this. You promised me you were going to give us a real shot. Even though I’d come see you every day—or even break you out of jail if I had to—I don’t think that’s how our relationship should start. Please... let me help you fix this. I meant it when I said I’d help you invest your money. If you need it, I’ll give you the money myself. We’ll rebuild everything together. I don’t care how long it takes. I just can’t lose you. Please... don’t throw your life away when we still have a future to fight for.”

Rebel finally listened and placed the gasoline can down. Then I pulled her into a hug before kissing her lips. For once, she wasn’t trying to be tough. She allowed me to hold her while she broke apart. Even if it was only temporary, I wanted her to know she wasn’t carrying this alone. We began to walk off when Sarah decided to let her feelings be known. That stupid ass woman decided to open the window and cross the line.

“I’m still calling the police on you niggers.”

She slowly stopped in her tracks and then reached into her pocket and pulled out a blunt. She really was about to light that shit like everything around her wasn’t drenched in gasoline. Yet there she was, calmly placing the blunt between her lips as if she were sitting on somebody’s patio instead of standing in the middle of a potential disaster. That’s when I knew she was gone mentally. Rage had grabbed the steering wheel.