Greatest MC Romance Box Set

by Blair Grey

  Maybe Lyle and his buddies are a lot tougher and meaner than I’ve given them credit for.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Lyle

  I didn’t want any of Jerome’s mafia thugs to ever be able to recognize me or know who I was. So, I wore a skull mask to prevent those things from happening. Me and ten of my MC brothers rode up to the high school football stadium on our Harley’s. Our engines thundered ominously as we pulled up.

  The three black Cadillacs parked haphazardly near the entry gate told us the mafia was indeed at a place they had no business being at. Women, children, grown-ass nerd men – so many people who couldn’t defend themselves against the likes of a mafia man, were at their mercy.

  Until we arrived. Getting off our bikes, we headed through the side entrance, where the football team enters the field. As ready to do battle as any other team that had ever stepped foot on that field, our nerves were steady, a sense of the calm before the storm filled us all.

  We’d been in these situations many times. Not a one of us tried to get out of the confrontations that came our way or that we sought out.

  The people parted to allow us to come through as my eyes had taken in the group of men who were bullying the people I’d gone to school with. “Hey,” I called out.

  The six men in black suits, dark sunglasses, and grim expressions stood out like a sore thumb. The leader stepped up in front of the others. “Yeah?”

  “You were not invited to this event,” I stated with a firm tone. “So, we’re here to ask you politely to leave.”

  “And if we don’t?” the leader asked me with his plump lips pulled up to one side.

  Looking back at the men who flanked me, I jerked my thumb at them. “Then we will make you leave. So, it’s all up to you. Leave on your own, or we can escort you. I should tell you that our escort service is a bit on the harsh side.”

  Leo stepped up beside me, smacking his fist into the palm of his hand. “If I were you, I would leave these nice people to their picnic and go away on my own, without the need for physical violence to scar these young kids and those nerds over there, cowering in the corner.” He nodded toward the band geeks he’d met when we went to lunch that day.

  The leader began to realize that he and his group were outnumbered by more than he could count as more and more men – and some rather fearsome women stepped up to join us. “Hey, we didn’t come here for trouble. We’re here looking for someone you might know. Avia Forester is our boss’s fiancé. Our boss and she are missing and we just want to find them.”

  “We don’t know a thing about her. She hasn’t been here in years. So, and your friends can leave now,” I told him. “So, come on, let’s go.”

  “Look,” the leader went on, “we have reason to believe that she is in Baltimore.”

  Curiosity peaked, I had to ask, “And how is that?”

  “Let’s just say that a little bird told us,” the leader said with a rather evil grin. “We tracked down the cousin of hers that got married the other day. She said that Avia had spoken to her many times about a man she went to school with. A man who might help her if she ever needed it. But she never told her cousin this guy’s name.”

  Relief filled me as I knew Avia was the smartest woman I’d ever known. She knew better than to say my name to anyone. She knew that if she ever needed me, that she had to keep my identity a secret. That meant she’d contemplated leaving Jerome in the past and coming to me to help her.

  I’d been on her mind a lot in the last few years, it seemed. And that made me feel like something I had never felt before. Needed.

  “I don’t know a thing about Avia, except that she’s not in town and she’s not at this function that you and your men need to leave right now,” I issued the order. “Out. Now.”

  “Well, the thing is that we think she is here. Maybe you haven’t seen her because this guy has been hiding her. Maybe he’s hiding her because she did something to our boss. They have a stormy past. It’s not beyond reason that she would off him and get help from someone else to deal with the body.”

  I found it amazing how he’d come to the right conclusion. Avia and her fiancé must’ve had many, many fights in front of his men. “Whatever you think, she’s not here. So, leave now. These people would like to get back to what they were doing.”

  “I’ll leave as soon as someone fesses up about the question we’ve been asking.” His voice got very loud, “What is the name of the man Avia Forester was involved with in this high school?”

  The blood froze in my veins. I had no idea if anyone would say my name or not. I’d bullied Avia. I highly doubted anyone would say she would ever think I was a man who would protect her. But I wasn’t sure about that. “You need to go. Now!”

  I had no idea if anyone knew it was me behind the skull mask or not. I didn’t hang out with anyone from high school, so someone recognizing my voice was unlikely. But who knew?

  Scanning the people who looked on with worried expressions, I noticed the group of jocks who stood on one side of us, aiding in the attempt at intimidating the mafia. One of them moved forward, clearing his throat. “I’m Jake Stone. I don’t know if Avia meant me when she told her cousin about a man she thought she could go to if she needed help, but I haven’t seen her since the end of our senior year.”

  In an instant, my blood went from freezing to boiling with rage.

  He’s the motherfucker who stole her virginity then never spoke to her again!

  I tried not to glare at him. I tried not to stalk his way and grab him by the neck to wring the life out of him. Even though the red color that stained my vision as fury filled me, I saw one thing about the man that made me reel in all the anger I felt.

  The mafia leader chuckled as he looked Jake Stone up and down. “You? I doubt she could’ve been talking about a cripple in a wheelchair. Where are your legs? You lose them someplace?”

  “Afghanistan, as a matter of fact,” Jake said.

  His fellow jocks stood on either side of him, none of the happy with the way he’d been spoken to. James Masterson was our former quarterback. He wasn’t about to let what the mafia man said slip by without some retaliation. “There is no one here who knows where Avia Forester is or even where she has been. She left here and hasn’t been back. So, you all need to leave now. Insulting one of us is a mistake. Insulting one of us who served our country is a sin. We’re done taking your shit.”

  The prospect who’d called us to come in the first place stepped up too. “I called in the Iron Cobras to come deal with you guys. They’re not strangers to shit like this. It won’t even be a chore for them to make you leave.”

  The mafia leader wasn’t about to back down. It made me wonder what the hell kinds of firepower they had. Standing up to a group this big wasn’t a cakewalk. “I’m giving this one last shot.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of money, holding it up high for all to see. “This is nothing but C-notes right here. Don’t ask me how many cause I haven’t counted them. But they will all go to the first person who can tell me where I can find Avia Forester. Or who this guy is she feels so close to.”

  “I’ve had enough of this shit.” I began moving forward and my MC brothers moved with me. The jocks, the cheerleaders, even the band geeks moved with me to send the mafia jerks on their way.

  One thing about Baltimoreans, we stuck together when it came to others moving in on our territory and threatening our people. As moved as one unit toward the New York mafia thugs, they backed up slowly.

  And then I saw them all move their right hands back. I stopped, knowing they were going for their guns. Holding up my hand, I asked the morons a simple question, “Do you really think that we’re not carrying guns? Think about it. We out-gun you. You might take out some innocent people here today, but we will take every last one of you out. Leave. Stop trying to get answers that none of us have.”

  Before the leader could say a thing, a light tinkling sound came from his pocket. He held
up one hand, then pulled the phone out of the pocket. “Yeah?” he answered the call.

  Swirling his finger in the air, he turned and began walking away, the other men following him. I breathed a sigh of relief. Lucius finally made the call.

  With a nod to my guys, I began leading them off the field, the way we’d come in. Passing by the group of jocks, I heard a voice ask, “Hey, who are you anyway?”

  When I turned to see who said that, I found Jake Stone looking at me. Gritting my teeth, I tried not to pounce on the man who’d done Avia so damn wrong. But then I thought about who I was back in high school. I’d grown up. And Jake had too. “I’m a guy who was once an asshole. You know anything about being an asshole in your younger years, Jake?”

  His cheeks went red as he nodded. “Yeah. I know a thing or two about being an asshole. I did more than a few young women wrong. Avia Forester was one of them. I kind of hoped she would come to this reunion – at least one of the events this weekend. I wanted to apologize for something I did to her during our senior year. It’s bothered me a lot throughout the years. I’m sure it bothered her even more.”

  “So, you wanted to say that you’re sorry, huh?” I nodded and found that I couldn’t really be mad a guy who wasn’t that different than I’d been. We just had different ways of being immature and rotten to the core.

  “Yeah.” He looked around as the crowd had all gone on, everyone talking excitedly about what had just occurred. “I know it’s you, Lyle. And I know you had a thing for Avia. I also had an English class with you. More than once I had to grade your paper since I was the teacher’s helper in that class. I know it was your handwriting on the bathroom wall in the cafeteria. And I knew why you’d written that about her too. You liked her and she couldn’t stand you.”

  “You knew that, huh?” I pulled down the mask, not worried at all anymore of anyone who was there seeing who I was. “I was an extraordinary bastard back then.”

  “You know where she is, don’t you?” he asked with a grin. “You’re the one she came to.”

  “I’m not saying a thing.” I clapped him on the back. “Thanks for serving our country, Jake Stone. If I ever do see Avia Forester, I’ll relay the apology you have for her.”

  “Please so. Tell her that I was an insecure kid who thought he had to score with as many girls as he could to prove that he was a man,” he admitted. “When I joined the Marines, I found out that messing around with all the girls I had, had not made me a man. The Marines did do that. Once I’d become a real man, I finally felt guilty for what I’d done. I had more guilt over what I did to her than what I’d done to anyone else. Let her know that the reason I didn’t say a thing to her after that night didn’t have a thing to do with her. When I figured out that she was a virgin, when I saw the blood and put two and two together about her super tightness, I knew I’d done wrong. I couldn’t talk to her because then I would have to face what I’d done. Saying sorry can’t take a damn thing back. But it’s all I can do.”

  I had to hand it to him, he had grown up and he had really thought about what he’d done. “Well, I don’t know her anymore. And I haven’t seen her since the last day of our senior year. But if I ever do see her or even talk to her, I’ll tell her what a great man you turned out to be. And I will definitely relay the apology. Just so you know – I’m pretty damn sure she’ll accept it too.”

  “Not that you know her anymore,” he said with a smile.

  “Yeah. Not that I know her.” Reaching out, I shook his hand. “You have a great time with your old buddies, Jake. I’ve gotta get the hell outta here now.”

  “It was great seeing you after all these years, Lyle. I’ll be heading back to Arlington tomorrow. They gave me a medal of honor when I lost my legs. Plus, a gravy job at the Pentagon.” He looked at the parking lot as the guys started up their bikes. “I’ll put the Iron Cobras on the good guys’ list up there. You men are something else. I mean that in a good way.”

  “Thanks, Jake. That means a lot.” I was pretty sure that Avia already knew all about Jake Stone and that was the reason she hadn’t wanted to tell me or anyone else his name. She knew he’d turned out to be a good man. “You be careful now. See you around.”

  “See you around too, Lyle Franklin.” He wheeled himself away from me as I watched him go.

  Thinking that I’d had such hateful feelings toward the teen who’d hurt Avia, I felt bad about it. Not many people stay the person they were in high school. And no one should be treated as if they never grew as a person.

  I can’t wait to tell Avia all about this - she will freak!

  Chapter Eighteen

  Avia

  “Wow.” I looked at my reflection in the full-length mirror and I didn’t recognize myself. “This will work just fine, Brittany. I can’t believe that some hair dye and different clothes can do all this for me.”

  “You look hot, Avia!” she gushed as she looked me up and down. “I’m so glad that I brought an outfit for you. Lucky that we’re the same size. I’ve got loads of things I’ll bring to you.”

  White leather covered my body, from the skin-tight pants to the matching jacket that hit me just under the boobs. A black silk blouse and black leather boots with six-inch heels finished off the look of provocative biker-babe.

  She’d cut my hair into a bob with long layers that framed my face. A face that had been done with a minimal amount of makeup. But that didn’t matter. The new hair color of silky misty grey with two inches of black root at the top that filtered into it, made my skin glow. And my green eyes popped like crazy – no longer hidden in all the dark hair I’d always had.

  Cotton candy pink lips pursed as I gazed at myself in the mirror. “I can’t believe that this is me.”

  “It’s still you, girl. Just a different version of you.” Packing up her things, she headed to the door. “I’ll get going. I’m dying to go through my closet now so I can go through all my clothes. Giving you some of them means I get to go shopping. Yea, me!”

  “Wait one minute.” I went to her, threw my arms open then wiggled my newly painted pink-nailed fingers at her. “You come here to me. I have got to give you all that I have to give. A hug.”

  “Aww.” She came to me, letting me envelop her in my arms. “It was my pleasure, Avia. I’ve been where you are now. I just want to help you find yourself again. I know this isn’t the you that you were used to seeing when you looked in the mirror, but if we’re gonna get to keep you around, then you have to look different.”

  Letting her out of my arms, I smiled at her as I nodded. “And different I do look. Thank you so much. And I’m looking forward to getting together with you to check out the clothes. You are a great friend, Brittany. I’ll never forget this.”

  “Aww, you’re gonna make me cry.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “I’ve got to get going. I left my stepdaughter, Sarah, at home with my kids. So, she’s got my toddlers and her kids and I’m sure she’s about ready to pull her hair out right about now. I’ll call you.” She tapped her chin as she thought about that. “You don’t have a phone though.”

  “I’m going to see if Lyle will get me one soon. Once he does that, I’ll shoot you a text from it, so you’ll have the number. I’ve got to get back to some kind of normal now.” I ran my hand through my silky locks. “I love the way my hair feels!” I grabbed her again as excitement rushed through me. “Thank you!”

  “You’re very welcome. I’ll catch you later. And please take in Lyle’s reaction to your new look. I want to hear every last detail about it.” She walked out the door, leaving me to myself.

  I wondered what Lyle would think about the new me. He’d pretty much told me he’d love this leathery look. But I didn’t quite look like me anymore. I had to wonder how he’d take that.

  Pouring myself a glass of white wine, I went to take a seat on the sofa while I waited for him to return. With my first sip, the reason he wasn’t home in the first place came rushing back into my head. “Oh shit! Jerome’s
mafia buddies!”

  The words hadn’t long been out of my mouth when I heard the sound of a Harley coming into the garage. Getting up, I rushed to get to him, eager to hear the news and praying it was all good.

  Coming in, he had his head down as he took off his helmet then laid it on the counter. His eyes stopped on my boots then he slowly scanned my body until he reached my eyes. “Fuck me,” he murmured. “Avia? Is that you?”

  “It is me.” I ran my hands over my hips. “So, what do you think?” I saw a lump form in the front of his jeans and smiled. “Oh, I think you like what you see.”

  He nodded as he looked me up and down again. “You look like a different person.” Then his eyes came to mine. “But your eyes are the same gorgeous eyes they’ve always been.” He stepped closer to me, then reached out to run his hand over my shoulder before he stepped even closer to me. “I want to mess you all up so fucking bad that it hurts.”

  A giggle erupted out of me – and I never giggled. “Damn, babe.” I ran my hand through his hair. “Before you do that, can you tell me about what went down at the football field?”

  With a heavy sigh, he took my hand then led me to take a seat on the sofa. “This isn’t going to be easy, talking to you, instead of getting all over out. But I’ll try.”

  “Please do.” I quickly fell in love with the new me and the power I now had over at least one man. “I’m dying to know what happened.”

  “Well, Lucius made the call. That was obvious by the quick exit of the mafia. So that’s good.”

  “That’s great!” I found his lack of emotion odd. “You seem like that wasn’t the best part of what happened today.”

  “There’s more. Jake Stone was there.” He eyed me.

  My heart stopped beating as worry filled me. “Please tell me that you didn’t do anything bad to him.” I hadn’t told him who’d taken my virginity and then ignored me. But it was a safe assumption that he’d managed to find that out somehow.