Rivals 🌈 ✔

57 - Unrest

Skye wasn't very nervous, but it was a little bit exciting to walk to the stranger. Perhaps because he was so different than the guys she used to hang out with. 

She had never dated someone with kids. And while she walked towards the man, she realized that there was a good chance that he was already with someone. It wasn't like he could have bought the kids in the supermarket. Sure, the relationship with the mother could be over, but it might be a little too optimistic to assume that he was single. 

By the time she arrived at the bench, her thoughts were still with the twins and a potential partner instead of a better pick-up line than Raine's. 

Which was definitely too cheeky. 

She smiled at the man as he glanced to the side. "Hey," she said. "I was curious whether I was the one you were looking at or that handsome guy next to me."

See—there was no need to come up with a good starter in advance. If he couldn't handle her bluntness it would be a short conversation. She thought it was important to say whatever she wanted; openness was the key to everything. 

"I was definitely not looking at the man next to you," the man answered with a small smile. 

"Good." She sat down next to him. "I'm Skye."

"Timothy."

They shook hands. His fingers were soft, his nails clean. A contrast to Juice's and Raine's hands; they both worked in the garage. 

"So the man who sat next to you wasn't your boyfriend?" Timothy asked. 

"Maybe I'm just looking for a threesome," she said with a mischievous grin—although she didn't want to scare him off.  Softly chuckling, she added: "Nah, I'm kidding. Raine's with my best friend and roommate. We both had a day off and decided to spend some time together."

A small smile still toyed with his lips. His glance however wandered away and rested upon the swing. "Are you here with your son or daughter?"

Was it a coincidence that he was looking at Sasha? The girl was playing for at least half an hour. Had Timothy been watching them for so long? "Sasha is Raine's niece. The girl you're looking at."

"I already thought she was with you guys, you were often looking at her."

Damn—he'd kept a close eye on her. 

On the other hand; she also discovered that he had twins. 

"I saw you have two daughters. You got more kids?"

Timothy shook his head. "No, two were enough for me and my ex-wife. I have a busy job."

That was quite a flaw. If there was one thing she found unattractive, it was a dude who only cared about his job. She had a soft spot for family men. "What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a lawyer."

Skye wasn't surprised. Would he keep himself busy with criminal law? Or with a whole different branch? She decided to ask. "What kind of lawyer are you?"

"Succession law."

It made her feel relieved. She might not be an Old Lady anymore, but if she came home with a criminal law lawyer, she was sure the Sons would want to make a deal with him. She wanted to stay away from that shit, especially now Juice was about to quit.

"And what kind of job do you have?"

"I do a lot, actually. I was trained as a sign language interpreter. I worked for some rich guy for a while, translating his meetings until he moved to another state. Now and then there are some shows I can work on—but as a freelancer. I also work in the catering industry for two evenings a week and I do puppet shows in the hospital—as a volunteer. But I love writing the shows, so I'm thinking about starting a small business for writing musicals and other shows."

"So you're quite a buzzing bee, huh?"

Skye smiled and nodded. Her eyes wandered to Raine, who was on his phone—probably texting Juice. 

A silence fell. The guy was less interesting than she'd hoped. She had a rule of thumb for deciding if someone was interesting enough; he or she had to be able to make her laugh in five minutes at most. She thought of a polite way of saying goodbye when Timothy started to talk again. 

"Your friend isn't in trouble, is he?"

Confused, Skye frowned. She just wanted to ask where the hell that question was coming from when she remembered the fading bruises on his face. "No, he's ambushed by some men." Something about his attitude made her feel uneasy. 

"A tough guy like him?"

She shrugged. "I better go back." She feigned a smile. "It was nice to meet you."

Disappointment washed over Timothy's face. "You're leaving already? I wanted to suggest having a drink some time."

Usually, she would give someone a chance, but she had a nagging feeling telling her there was an underlying reason the man was talking to her. Probably something club-related. 

"I think it's better if we don't, Timothy." She got up and gave him a polite nod. "Have a nice day."

With a pit in her stomach, she returned to Raine. 

"You came back soon. Was he taken?"

"No." Thoughtful, she looked over her shoulder. The man didn't look happy. "Let's go."

"What?" Raine studied her face. "What did he say to you, Skye?"

"Nothing weird... I just have a bad feeling." She turned her face away and looked at the swing, but Sasha was gone. 

Panic surged through her like a thunderbolt. "Where's Sasha?" she asked in a shrill voice.

"There, at the slide. What's going on, Skye?" Raine grabbed her wrist and caught her glance. 

Skye took a deep breath. This wasn't like her.

Maybe, being close to bikers didn't leave her as indifferent as she always thought. Her stomach was in knots. She looked at Timothy, somehow expecting that he was calling someone, but he wasn't. 

"I don't know what it is," she muttered. "That guy just gave me bad vibes."

"Okay." Raine stood up. "Then we'll leave."

Skye quickly followed him while Raine headed to his niece and took her hand. 

She thought back to how the man had looked at Sasha and the questions he asked about Raine...

Not that long ago, Raine's father was abducted. What if there was someone after the little girl now? She however didn't dare to say it out loud, knowing it was a paranoid thought that would only cause stress to people who'd already gone through a lot. 

Only when they were in the car, the unrest faded a little. 

A little.  

. . .

If you enjoyed this chapter and you want to support me as a writer, it would mean the world to me if you'd leave a comment, vote and follow my profile ♥