The Rebel's Return (Red River) by Victoria James Read Free Book Online Page A

potential reunion roast that was about to happen. He turned to leave only to find himself face-to-face with Dominic and Mr. Puccini. It was like a stone wall made up of overprotective Italian men. Neither father nor son said a word, but they both stood side by side, arms crossed, death glares set on him.
    He cleared his throat and extended his hand to the senior Puccini. He wasn’t entirely sure the man with the brown-eyed death glare would accept it. After a moment, he did. “Nice to see you again, sir.”
    Mr. Puccini gave him an almost imperceptible nod before walking into the back of the shop, which left him alone with his ex-best friend, Dominic, who was now, judging by the uniform he was sporting…a cop?
    “Hey, Dom.”
    Dominic gave him a similar look to his father. He was tall, built, and his stare was more intimidating than the weapons he was carrying. Not that Aiden had let on that he was intimidated. Dominic stood a little straighter. “Aiden.”
    And then he turned around and walked out the door. Aiden stood there a moment, his back to the crowd of people in the bakery. The sting of being rejected by the guy who’d once been his best friend filled his gut with lead. No one seemed to notice or care; their voices, their laughter, wafting around like they were part of some club that didn’t include him. The sound of his father’s laughter was foreign to him. They all had a life here, one that didn’t include him anymore. That was his own fault.
    He started for the door, aware there wasn’t one person in there that would even try and stop him from leaving. He glanced over his shoulder, and his stomach clenched as he made eye contact with Nat. She wasn’t laughing. She was standing behind the counter, her dark brown eyes on him. He didn’t stay long enough to figure out if she looked sympathetic or angry.
    He walked out, the urge to at least make an attempt at speaking to Dominic seeming worth it. “Dominic,” he called out. His gut twisted tighter. He hadn’t had a conversation with the guy he’d been inseparable with as a kid and early teen in years. Dom had been like another brother. He’d had his head screwed on properly, though, and had had no problem steering clear of Aiden when he’d turned into a screwup. It wasn’t a surprise he was a cop now.
    Dominic stopped outside John’s Diner and Aiden wondered if he was going to keep walking. Finally, he slowed and turned. Dominic had always looked like he could beat the crap out of anyone if he were pissed off. He stalked back toward the bakery. Aiden held his ground. He wasn’t the same kid anymore, he wasn’t the same screwup, and Dominic still blamed him for things that he hadn’t been responsible for.
    “Yeah?” Dominic said.
    “I’m going to be back in town for a few weeks. Maybe we can get a beer sometime?”
    His friend’s dark eyes narrowed slightly. “I would’ve thought you’d quit drinking.”
    He stood a little straighter. He wasn’t going to get insulted. He deserved it. “I was never an alcoholic.”
    Dominic nodded slightly. “You’ve seen my sister.”
    His sister. The unforgettable image of Natalia trying to murder him with her dark eyes filled him. “I ran into her at my dad’s place.”
    “She feels bad for him since he’s all alone.”
    The censure in his friend’s voice made him bristle. “Well, not everyone is born into a giant Italian family with cousins and grandparents and siblings to help raise kids. My dad and I had issues.”
    His friend shrugged, his eyes still cold and filled with judgment. “Family is family.”
    Oh God. He felt the Red River noose begin to tighten around his neck. “Okay, well, I can see this is going well. I guess I’ll see you around.”
    For a second it looked as though Dominic’s stony face showed a tiny hint at cracking but it didn’t. “Yeah. Stay away from my sister, and this will all be fine.”

Chapter Four
    Aiden walked into his father’s garage and paused when he