by Karen Renee
Har knew Block had spewed a bunch of nonsensical techno babble to get Dennizen off his case, but he had to keep up his end of it. He looked from Brute to Block.
“I think he’s insulting me.” He focused on Dennizen. “I know a megabyte from a kernel, seeing as I only take high resolution graphics for my custom paint jobs. But I was a sounding board to Block while he tried to figure it out. I remembered a buddy of mine has an IT connection, and that damn sure did the trick for Block.”
Dennizen glared at the three of them before shaking his head. He pulled a business card from his wallet and put it on the bar. “You see Norris ‘Wreck’ Strickland make sure he calls me. I don’t care if you’re one-percenters or not. He’s the last person to see Layla Gauthier alive and she deserves justice.”
Har adopted a somber expression and nodded. “You’re absolutely right, Detective. Knew Layla for seven years or more and she didn’t deserve to be murdered.”
Dennizen lifted his chin at Har, turned on his heel, and left.
“I thought when I stepped in it, I really stepped in it, but you boys take the damn cake,” Stephanie said, from behind him.
He whirled around to see her wearing his black Harley-Davidson t-shirt and leaning heavily on the wall of the hallway.
He stalked over to her. “What the fuck are you doin’ out of bed, Combes?”
She glowered at him. “Listen, Walcott. I had to pee and I’m ravenously hungry. I only heard from the computer gobbledy-gook onward. You didn’t tell me Layla was murdered.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist so she didn’t have to lean on the wall. “Didn’t exactly have time, darlin’, seein’ as they called to tell me Dixon was the douchebag who did you so fuckin’ wrong.”
“Fine,” she whispered.
“What do you want to eat?” he whispered back.
She shrugged. “I’m so hungry, I’m not picky.”
“What are you doing out of bed, girl?” Sandy cried from behind her.
Har looked over Stephanie’s head at Sandy. “She’s hungry. Get her some eggs and bacon.”
Stephanie made a face. “I can’t believe I’m gonna say this, but let’s skip the bacon.”
“I can’t believe you said that either, Steph. I remember fighting you to the death over the last piece of bacon when you were just in a training bra,” Brute muttered as he walked to the kitchen.
“That is the last time you talk about my woman and bra in the same sentence.”
Brute chuckled. “Whatever you say, man. I’ll get her some eggs, toast, and some hash browns. You take her back to your room.”
Twenty minutes later, Stephanie set a large antibiotic pill on a napkin next to her plate. “I feel spoiled having Brute bring me breakfast. Before I forget, where’s Suzy?”
He swallowed his coffee. “At the casino. She and Turk should be here soon. Him and two other Jacksonville brothers are sitting in on church with us.”
“At least they got into town.”
He moved his chair next to hers and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You don’t worry about anything, Miss Priss. Take your pill, take a long nap, and when you get up your sister will be here.”
“What will you be doing? Fielding more police questions?”
He shook his head on a chuckle. “I fuckin’ hope not.”
She nodded.
His other hand shifted her face toward his. He lowered his lips to give her a long, heartfelt kiss. She wrapped her hand around his neck just before he ended it.
From the look in her eyes, he knew she could read his emotions on his face.
“I love you,” she whispered.
His lips tipped up on one side. “Love you, too. I’m so fuckin’ grateful you’re alive. Rest and get better, baby.”
THE BROTHERS SITTING around the huge table were silent after church was called to order. Meetings like these were the roughest. The sooner he started, the sooner they’d be done.
“You all know what Wreck and Massive did yesterday. And I know our original plan did not go as expected, so I apologize.”
“Permission to speak, but what the hell for?” Joules demanded.
Har dipped his chin. “If things had gone to plan, we’d have either our inventory back or the money Wreck and Mass made off our marijuana.”
Joules shook his head. “No way that money didn’t go into buying that property, and even if it didn’t, they probably spent what little they had left.”
There were murmurs of agreement from around the table.
“Fine. Biloxi PD came by asking if we’d seen Wreck. If we do, we’re to send him to Dennizen for questioning.”
“They suspect him of the cookhouse fire?” Gamble asked.
Har shook his head. “He didn’t say. Some of you may not know this, but Layla was found dead Tuesday morning.”
“Good God,” Two-Times breathed.
“The detective let it slip that Wreck was the last to see her alive. My guess is that he offed her for coming clean with me. I should’ve expected them to do something like that, but—”
Joules spoke again. “Prez, I mean no disrespect, but stop. You can’t anticipate the moves of two assholes who’d pit a woman against us. So, if I got this straight, Dennizen is looking for Wreck. Knows Massive is dead, and has three other bodies from the cookhouse fire, right?”
Brute nodded. “That’s the extent of it.”
Joules turned his hands out over the table. “Let him look.”
“Brother, you sound like your old lady,” Cynic muttered.
Joules chuckled. “And you need an old lady, ’Nic.”
Har shook his head. “Enough talking about ladies at the table. Roman, you need help with phase two of the plan?”
Roman’s full lips spread into a wide smile. “I don’t think so. Since we have three of our Jacksonville brothers visiting, they’ve offered to give us an assist.”
Har nodded to Blood, Turk, and Major who were seated opposite Roman. “I guess that’s only fair payment for what we did for them last year.”
“Two years ago now, Har. We’re happy to dispose of anyone who’d threaten a chapter president.”
“How’s that going to work without causing any blowback on either of you three?” Brute asked.
Roman grinned. “Major’s Tundra has one of those fancy lids over the bed of the truck.”
Blood chuckled. “And Major’s my ride back to Tallahassee, where my old lady’s staying with family. They have a decent-sized house, but it sits in front of twelve acres of land. Abby and I have camped on that land, and I can tell you it’s a great place to get rid of anything that ails you.”
Cynic leaned forward to catch Har’s gaze. “And you think I’m cynical and paranoid? That shit takes the cake, Prez.”
Har shook his head. “How soon do you need to get back to your woman, Blood?”
Blood grinned. “Sooner’s always better as far as I’m concerned, but I think Major and I can hang until dinner.”
Chapter 28
But It's Family
Stephanie
I WOKE UP ALONE IN Har’s bedroom. My hair felt oily and I craved a shower in the worst way. I looked around and realized I had no clean clothes to wear. On the nightstand, my phone was plugged into a charger. I grabbed it and sent Suzy a text.
Hey, can you bring me some fresh clothes? Anything from my overnight bag in the room will do.
Two minutes later, there was a knock on the door and Suzy poked her head in the room. “Can I come in?”
“You better!” I cried as I moved as quickly as I could from the bed, which wasn’t that quick.
Suzy carried my overnight bag into the room, tsking at me. “You stay put!”
“No way. I need a shower, but I need to hug you first!”
We hugged for a long time.
At my ear, she said, “I love you, Stephie.”
“Love you too, sissy,” I whispered.
She pulled back. “Michael loves you, too. Like a t
on.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know about a ton—”
“Then you don’t know much. He is... I’ve never seen a guy look as torn up as he does when he talks about what happened.”
I pressed my lips together while I let her words sink in.
Her eyes softened. “You’re lucky. I didn’t think love like that could be found. Guess Mom rubbed off on me more than I realized.”
I blinked at her. “Yeah, but I think if you open your eyes, you might find there’s someone who loves you that much, too.”
Her brows knitted. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. But, you said you need a shower. Are you sure you can do that? Aren’t you supposed to keep your stitches dry?”
I gave her a look. “I am, but I’m sure there’s some plastic wrap or something around here to help me keep it dry. But I’ve got to wash my hair. It even smells like that asshole’s car, which reeked of marijuana.”
“I thought I smelled something funny,” she joked. “Come on, let’s get you sorted out.”
I shook my head. “No, just get Sandy or somebody to get me some cling wrap.”
Suzy looked at me from the corner of her eye. “You fall down and your man will have my head.”
I snorted. “Turk would keep that from happening.”
Her gaze turned cynical. “Yeah. You know how thick the brotherhood is with these guys. But I’ll be right back with the wrap. Do not get in that shower before I’m back.”
EVEN THOUGH I POKED my arm around the shower curtain, my bossy big-sister shoved the curtain to the side and focused on my stitches.
“Oh. My. God,” she cried.
I covered my breasts with one arm and reached out for the towel. “Susan. You can wait until I’m dry and warm before inspecting my scar.”
She kept the towel from me, even as her eyes met mine. “Not like you have anything I haven’t seen. And it isn’t that cold in here. Suck it up.”
I stepped out of the tub, glaring at her. “I got stabbed yesterday. Don’t tell me to suck it up, like I’m some delicate buttercup flower.”
She wrapped me in the towel, which allowed her to wrap her arms me. “I know that, squirt. And for the record, that is the last damn time you get to remind me you were stabbed.”
I wrenched an arm free of the towel and hugged her back. “Fine. But stop treating me like an invalid. I got this, Suze.”
She gave me a look before she said, “According to Har, you don’t have this, Stephanie. But, he said he won’t let anything else happen to you. And for you to deal with it.”
I glared at her. “Who does he think he is?”
“Perhaps, the man who loves you? Or really, the man you’re damn lucky to have taking care of you. And don’t argue. You wouldn’t be able to take care of this shit without him.”
That took the wind out of my sails. Rather than tell her she was right, I focused on the thing that would irritate her.
“Where’s Turk? He drove you all the way out here? What’s up with that? Has he made a move on you yet?”
She pulled away from our embrace while patting my shoulders. “No, and he isn’t going to. This trip isn’t about me. It’s about you, so don’t be a nimrod.”
I exhaled sharply. “Bullshit. A man who doesn’t care about you does not drive seven hours from home just because another MC brother says so.”
My sister dipped her chin and squinted at me. “Doesn’t he though? We talked about this before you ever left Jacksonville. Those men have a devotion to one another that defies logic.”
My lips pressed together as I tilted my head. “It doesn’t defy logic, but it is certainly stronger than bonds between most women. Which is why it’s so mysterious to me.”
She nodded. “You’re right. It is mysterious, but bottom line, he didn’t bring me here because I desperately wanted to be here. He did it because your man demanded he do it.”
I wanted to argue, but I knew my sister. She’d made up her mind about Turk’s motivations and nothing I said would convince her otherwise.
IT WAS THREE IN THE afternoon and Har had left to get more of our stuff from his house. Some of the other brothers went with him because they were hauling the destroyed mattresses to the dump.
I sat next to Turk on one of the couches in the common room while Suzy wandered to the bar for a refill on her soda.
Turk rested his beer bottle on his knee. “Don’t know why I didn’t hook you up with the Biloxi brothers when you moved out here, Steph.”
I shrugged a shoulder. “They wound up finding me any damn way, you know.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Gotta say, you won’t find a better man than Har.”
“You’re not biased or nothin’.”
His eyebrow quirked. “I’m not. I’m glad you two are together. It’s the way it ought to be.”
I watched as Sandy stopped my sister from making her way back to us. “You, uh, gonna find that for yourself anytime soon?”
He gave me a sideways glance. “What do you mean?”
I shot a skeptical look his way. “How long are you gonna dance around my sister?”
He turned away, but I saw a muscle tick near his cheekbone.
“We’re friends. Don’t want to ruin that,” he muttered.
My head wobbled as I thought about it. “Be more of a ruin if you never—”
He pointed his beer at me to shut me up. “I’ll know when the time’s right. And now that you’re gonna be part of the Riot family, you need to recognize that isn’t your business.”
I scoffed. “She’s my sister. By blood. It absolutely is my business, Bryant Hughes.”
Suzy looked over at us and broke away from Sandy. “What are you two arguing about over here? More talk about the NBA or something?”
I smiled. “It’s football season, Suze. Turk was just telling me the ins and outs of being an Old Lady.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t believe you. Not for one second.”
“How much time off did your boss give you?” I asked.
She caught Turk’s eyes. “Now she changes the subject.” She looked at me. “I don’t have to go back until Monday. Are you trying to get rid of me already?”
“No! I was just curious. You don’t get paid if you don’t work, so I’m sorry I’m—”
“Stop,” Turk said.
I stared at him.
His eyes blazed at me. “You didn’t stab yourself. You didn’t know someone wearing the Riot patch would conk you over the head. You didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t take it on yourself to feel guilty about it. If one of my sisters got stabbed, you can bet your ass I’d be right where Suzy is now. Money be damned. You only get one family, Stephanie.” He looked to the side briefly and back to me, sincerity lighting his eyes. “Though, if you’re lucky, you get to choose the Riot, which is a family of its own.”
“It’s a brotherhood,” I said quietly.
He leaned toward me. “Yeah. But it’s family. I took this patch knowing that I’d put everything on the line if someone threatened any brother’s old lady. I may not know their women well, but everyone one of them are part of my family.”
I nodded, even though I was still skeptical.
The front door opened and Har strode inside with a duffel bag over his shoulder and dragging my suitcase behind him.
I stood up, but the look he aimed at me encouraged me to sit back down. It didn’t stop me from rolling my eyes.
As he walked by, he said, “We’re gonna talk about your eye-rolling habit, baby. ’Cause it’s got to stop.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered. “What is this? ‘Gang up on Stephanie’ hour?” I asked.
Turk chuckled. “Nope. It’s ‘teach Stephanie how to be a president’s old lady’ hour.”
Har came back to the common room, and Turk looked at Suzy, before he jerked his head toward the bar. They both left me alone on the couch, which allowed Har to settle in beside me.
“How you feeling?” he asked.
/> “Okay-ish. It only hurts when I move too quick.”
He kissed my neck so he could murmur his question there. “You up for dinner with my mother tonight?”
I stiffened. “I can’t make dinner for her —”
He leaned back. “At her house, honey. She called me and I let it slip that you’re my woman.”
I gave him a quizzical look. “She already suspected that, you know.”
“Yeah, well, I haven’t had much sleep and I said I intend to marry you. She got a little excited about that.”
“You told your mother you were going to marry me before you even asked me?”
“You saying no? You were down with wearing my cut, and I know you—”
I held up a hand. “I’m just giving you grief, though at the same time, there are bikers who put a cut on a woman and don’t marry her in the eyes of the law.”
His chin dipped. “Right, but that’s not me. So, you up for dinner?”
I smiled. “Sure. Though, I may not eat much.”
Har
HE FOUGHT HIS ANNOYANCE at hearing she wouldn’t be able to eat much. After all, he had to be happy she was around to eat anything. Her hazel eyes gleamed with mischief, but she kept quiet.
He shook his head. “What do you want to ask me?”
She smirked. “You gonna get on one knee at this dinner? Or should I wait for a surprise at some later date?”
He rolled his eyes.
She groaned. “Now who needs a talking to about rolling their eyes?”
He kissed her hard and fast. “That would still be you, Miss Priss. You ready to go? I brought the truck back so you wouldn’t have to ride on my bike.”
Disappointment took over her face and she looked to the side.
“I’d kill the bastard for that alone, if he weren’t already dead.”
He chuckled and she looked at him.
“Trust me. We made sure he suffered for a long time.”
“Good,” she whispered.
He grinned. “Didn’t know you had such a vindictive side.”
“Somebody makes it so you can’t ride, you’ll get vindictive too.”
He stood up. “You ready to hit it?”
