Motorcycle Daddy (MC Daddies Book 1)

by Laylah Roberts

  Duke let out a string of swear words that had her blushing and Reyes frowning. “Duke needs to calm down. Who’s in there with him? I’ve known him a while now, he doesn’t often get worked up.”

  “Rory and Ink. Rory was meant to open with me. He’s probably annoyed because he had to come in here when he was meant to be meeting you guys at the club.”

  “Hmm, somehow I doubt it’s that.”

  There was the sound of a door slamming and Rory stormed out, giving her a dirty look as he strode towards her. “You bitch, this is your doing.”

  Oh. Awesome.

  Reyes cleared his throat, and Rory glanced over at him, paling as he took in the much larger man.

  “There a problem here?” Reyes asked coldly.

  “Hey, Reyes, didn’t see you there.” Rory attempted a smile. “How’s it going man? I’ve been meaning to ask you what you thought about me and my friend, Horse, becoming prospects?”

  “Horse?” she murmured.

  Rory shot her an annoyed look. “Yeah, because he’s hung like a fuckin’—”

  “Enough,” Reyes snapped at Rory.

  Goosebumps raised on her skin. Even she could see how angry he was, although she wasn’t sure why. “It’s a no. For both of you.”

  Rory’s face grew red. He glanced from her to Reyes, obviously embarrassed.

  “I’ll just go check on the coffee,” she said quietly, turning away.

  “Nice to meet you, Sunny,” Reyes said to her.

  “You too.”

  He said something quietly to Rory, but she didn’t hear what it was and when she returned to the front desk, he was gone. She was just walking over to switch the sign to open when several more men stepped inside.

  The first man was older, with mocha-colored skin and hints of silver in his black hair. He whistled as he walked into the front room, stopping as he saw her.

  “Well, hello there, darlin’,” he drawled in a southern accent.

  Ooh, she always loved that accent.

  “Hi,” she murmured.

  Two more men stepped in behind him. One was huge, towering over the other two. He looked younger, closer to her age. His hair was long, down to his shoulders. The third man was the scariest looking. He was bald, with a scar working its way down his neck but it was the complete lack of expression on his face that made him truly terrifying.

  “I’m Razor,” the black-skinned man told her with a smile. “The tall guy behind me is Jason and baldy here is, Spike.”

  Spike and Razor? Holy hell.

  “Hi, I’m Sunny.” She smiled back.

  “You sure are,” Razor said weirdly.

  Jason smiled at her. Spike didn’t even look her way, he just turned and walked towards Duke’s office.

  “Don’t mind him,” Razor told her. “He’s grumpy today.”

  “He’s grumpy every day,” Jason added.

  “Yep.” Razor winked at her. “We’ll see you later, Miss Sunny. Be good now and drink your water.”

  That was kind of a weird thing to say, but she shrugged it off as Rory’s first customer of the day arrived.

  Duke paced up and down his small office, unable to sit still.

  “Something happen?” Razor asked as he took the last remaining seat. Spike leaned back against the door and Jason stood in the corner. Ink sat on the edge of his desk, his leg swinging and a shit-eating grin on his face.

  Reyes was in Duke’s chair behind the desk. That bastard always had to be in a position of control.

  “Duke just had a fright. He’s now working through his delicate emotions,” Ink stated.

  “Fuck you,” Duke growled.

  Razor smiled, his too-knowing gaze taking in Duke. “This have anything to do with Miss Sunny? She’s looking good. No adverse effects from a few weeks back?”

  He was aware of everyone staring at him. Everyone except Reyes who was staring at something on his phone.

  “What makes you think that was about Sunny?”

  “Well, unless you’ve met two Littles in the past fortnight, I thought it was a fairly safe guess she was the one you were calling me for advice about.”

  “Fuck. Do you ever stop running your mouth? That was private,” Duke snapped.

  Razor’s grin widened. “So it was Sunny you wanted to know how to deal with.”

  “Sunny is a Little.” Ink gave him an interested look. “And you needed help handling her? She seems pretty sweet to me.”

  “I didn’t need help handling her,” Duke started. Fucking nosy bastards. “We’re not here to talk about my private life.”

  “So she’s part of your private life too?” Ink asked.

  “That’s none of your fucking business,” Duke bit out.

  “Grouchy today, aren’t you?” Razor commented.

  “I don’t know. He seems a little frustrated to me,” Ink added. “He needs to relax. You know what helps me relax—”

  “I don’t need to get fucking laid,” he snapped, knowing what Ink was going to suggest. “And if I was going to get laid, it wouldn’t be with Sunny. She’s my employee and neighbor. She’s not a fucking one-night stand kind of girl.” Unlike the women Ink slept with.

  “Can we please stop talking about the fact that Duke needs to get laid and get on to business?” Reyes spoke up for the first time. The rest of them grew silent. Although Ink sent him a sly look.

  Fucking bastard.

  “We had another warning from the Fox,” Reyes stated. He turned his phone around, showing them an image of a Fox’s head that had been spray-painted onto a wall. “One of the prospects found this on the outside wall of the compound this morning.”

  “Fuck, he’s getting ballsy,” Duke commented.

  Reyes tapped his fingers against his desk. “There was nothing written there but it’s pretty clear he’s showing us he can get to us anytime he wants.”

  “We need to know more about this fucking asshole,” Jason stated.

  Spike nodded. “He’s an enigma. Nobody knows who he is. You get in contact with him by leaving a message via voicemail. You can only get the phone number from one of his former clients. Then he decides whether to call you back or not.”

  “Did you have any luck getting the number?” Duke asked.

  “Yeah. Called him yesterday and left a message. Haven’t heard back. Then he leaves this. Pretty obvious he doesn’t want to fucking chat. We can’t underestimate this guy,” Spike warned.

  A headache throbbed in Duke’s temple. This was the last thing they needed. They’d just gotten rid of Bartolli’s hold on the club when Reyes had killed him. Now this.

  “Could he have been in league with Bartolli?” he asked quietly. “Worked with him?”

  Reyes continued to tap his fingers, looking thoughtful. “Bartolli’s dead. If he hired the Fox for some reason then why would he still be on the job? And Bartolli is unlikely to have hired him when he had us to do his dirty work.”

  “Do you think the senator hired him?” Jason asked. “As protection?”

  Spike frowned. “Don’t think it would be for protection. But maybe to find out who was blackmailing him. Senator Robins likely doesn’t know the person behind it is dead.”

  Reyes nodded. “We got anything more on the senator? Or the girl in the photos that were being used by Bartolli to blackmail him?”

  “Other than his holiday home in Maine where’s he’s been these last few days, the senator doesn’t own any other property that I can find,” Jason told them. “Neither does his wife. And I can’t find who the girl was.”

  “The senator would cover his tracks,” Ink said slowly.

  Reyes stared out the window in Duke’s office that led out to the back alley. Duke glanced out to see that homeless guy, Marv was pulling on a jacket that looked brand new. He wondered where he’d gotten that.

  Reyes turned back around. “She must have come from somewhere.”

  “Still want to know how Bartolli knew what the senator was up to,” Duke commented. “D
id he have a tie to the senator?”

  “Or the girl,” Jason suggested.

  “Maybe he supplied her,” Spike rasped. “Or knew who did.”

  “Do we still want to keep going?” Reyes asked. He looked each of them over.

  “Don’t see how we can fucking give up now,” Ink commented even though he’d been arguing against stopping a fortnight ago. “Would be a fucking itch we couldn’t scratch.”

  “The senator should be back tonight. Duke, you and Ink take first shift. Oh, and I told Rory that he and his friend, Horse weren’t being accepted as prospects.”

  Duke nodded. He’d expected as much. But now he had to listen to Rory whine about it.

  “Thank fuck, can’t stand that weasel, Rory,” Ink stated.

  “His friend was worse.” Razor looked ill. “The fucking sick shit that came out of his mouth, especially about women. He’s fucking lucky I didn’t take a blade to his tongue.”

  There was a reason Razor had earned his nickname.

  Reyes stood up and they all knew that meant the meeting was over. Ink stood with a grin.

  “Sorry to drag you away from that sweet thing out front,” he said slyly to Duke. “But if you’re not interested, guess you won’t mind me asking her out.”

  “You’ll stay the fuck away from her!” Duke snapped, enraged at the idea of Ink hitting on Sunny.

  Ink grinned. And Duke knew he’d given the other man the reaction he’d been looking for.

  Razor walked past him and tapped his shoulder. “Give it up, man. We all know you want her. It’s only a matter of time until you give in.”

  Duke sighed. Wonderful. Now he got to spend the night listening to Ink gloat. He’d rather be fucking tortured.

  9

  “Sunny, go get me some dinner from the sub shop from up the road,” Rory demanded, walking into reception. She sighed. Less than two hours to go until closing. She could last that long without killing him, right?

  It might just take a miracle.

  “Your next client isn’t due for half an hour.”

  “So? You’re just sitting there on your fat ass doing nothing. Get up and get me some food. I’ve got other things to do.”

  She had to hold back a wince at the fat ass dig. It was too close to what Greg used to say to her. Although even he hadn’t used that nasty tone of voice.

  Things to do? Right, like sneak out the back and smoke a joint. Yeah, she knew exactly what sort of important things Rory had to do. He only snuck in a joint when Duke wasn’t around. Unfortunately, Madden was in with a client.

  “It’s dark out.”

  “So what? Are you scared of the dark?” he mocked. “Go get me a meatball sub and hurry the fuck up.”

  She clenched her hands into fists and stood up. “I’m not your slave.”

  “After what you did today, you fucking well are,” he snarled.

  “What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything to you!”

  “You couldn’t even open the shop without fucking it up! Just like everything else you fucking do around here. You’re a mess. You’re hopeless. You can’t even get a simple stock order right. Duke’s only keeping you around because he feels sorry for you. And now, because of your fucking incompetence I’ve gotten a verbal warning and lost my chance to join the Iron Shadows. Getting me a sub is the least you can damn well do for me.”

  She was pretty sure she wasn’t the cause of either of those things. But the look on his face, one of hate and fury, was starting to scare her. Suddenly, going to get him a sub didn’t sound like the worst idea in the world. It wasn’t like Duke was going to find out, he had disappeared a while ago. And the sub shop was only a block away. Wasn’t much that could happen.

  “I’ll need some cash.”

  He scowled but reached into his pocket and pulled out ten dollars. She snatched it up and stormed out, without bothering to grab her jacket or phone. Something she regretted as soon as she was out the door. But she just hugged herself as she strode around the corner to the sub shop.

  She’d dealt with her fair share of jerks over the years. But Rory was next level. He actually scared her.

  You need to tell Duke.

  Right, and just add to the hundred and one reasons why he should regret hiring her? No, thank you. She’d just have to avoid Rory as much as she could.

  Yeah, that was a solid plan.

  Fifteen minutes later, with the sub in hand, she hurried into the shop. She had the distinct feeling of being watched and it creeped her out enough that she’d very nearly broken into a run.

  As she stepped in the door, she didn’t see him at first. She kept her face down, trying to shake off the last of her nerves and she bounced right into him.

  “Oomph!” The sub squished between them then fell to the floor.

  Whoops.

  Big, rough hands grasped hold of her shoulders, steadying her before she could fall on her ass. She was wearing a short-sleeved black T-shirt with the shop logo on it and black pants. A shiver raced through her that had nothing to do with the chill still clinging to her bare skin.

  She raised her head slowly when he said nothing. Her gaze roamed over his own black T-shirt, which fit him much better than it did her. Then over his chin. He hadn’t shaved in several days and it only added to his appeal. When she reached his eyes, her gaze stopped.

  His blue eyes were burning.

  “Uh-oh,” she muttered.

  One dark eyebrow rose. That’s when she noticed the small tic by his right eye.

  Double uh-oh.

  She forced herself to smile.

  Duke shook his head. “Oh no, don’t even think about it.”

  “Think about what?”

  “About trying to smile your way out of this.”

  She frowned. What was he talking about? “I don’t try to smile my way out of stuff.”

  “You sure as shit do. But this time, I’m not letting myself get distracted.”

  She had no idea what he was talking about. She glanced back down at their feet where the sub lay in a mess of meatballs and tomato sauce. Shoot.

  She attempted to step away. She needed to clean that up before a customer arrived. Shit. Rory was going to be grumpy about this. She sighed. She really didn’t feel like dealing with a Rory tantrum right now.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” he rumbled.

  “I’ve got to clean this mess up.”

  “No.”

  She stared up at him. “No?”

  “No, you’re not cleaning it up until you explain what the hell you were thinking?”

  “I just went to get a sub, Duke,” she said tiredly. What was the big deal?

  “No, you didn’t just go get a sub. You disobeyed a rule. What was your rule, Sunny?”

  “I wasn’t to go out alone in the dark.”

  He turned her to face the large windows that looked out onto the parking lot. “And is it dark outside?”

  “Yes.”

  “And were you out alone?”

  “Yes,” she bit out.

  “Then your ass should have been safely inside this building, shouldn’t it? Not out getting yourself dinner. Since when do you eat meatball subs, anyway?”

  She bit her lip as he turned her back around to face him. She thought about telling him who the sub was for, but at the end of the day it was still her decision to leave the shop.

  “Sorry,” she told him. “It won’t happen again.”

  “Not good enough, Sunny. If I can’t trust you with your own safety. . .” he trailed off.

  What? Would he fire her?

  Nausea bubbled in her stomach. She couldn’t lose her job.

  “Sunny! Sunny! Hey, what’s wrong?”

  “I. . .umm. . .are you firing me?”

  He sighed and to her surprise, drew her into his chest for a cuddle. That was unexpected. Nice, though. In fact, it was just what she needed right then. His big hand cupped the side of her face.

  “Jesus, your skin is fr
eezing. Where the hell is your jacket?”

  “Oh, um, I forgot it.”

  He heaved out a sigh. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “Hopefully not decide that I’m more trouble than I’m worth.”

  He drew away from her, placing his hands on her shoulders as he stared down at her. “Sunny, you are definitely not more trouble than you’re worth. But you are in trouble. You broke a safety rule. That comes with punishment. Not being fired,” he added hastily, no doubt seeing the way her face crumbled. “When’s the next customer due in?”

  “Um, about five minutes.” And Rory hadn’t had any dinner. Shit.

  “All right. This was meant to be your dinner?”

  “Ah, no. It wasn’t.”

  He just stared down at her until she sighed. “It was Rory’s.”

  His face tightened.

  “But it was my decision to go out and get it so you shouldn’t blame him. I don’t think he knows that whole no going out at night rule.”

  “He will soon,” he said ominously. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of Rory. You’ve eaten?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What?”

  “Oh, um, a salad.”

  He shook his head and muttered something. “Clean this up. Then after the next customer is here, put the closed sign out. Then get your ass into my office. We’re going to discuss your misbehavior further.”

  Yay. That sounded like fun.

  Fifteen minutes later he was still sitting at his desk, wondering what he was doing. He’d torn into Rory and had fun doing it. Lazy fucker could get his own dinner from now on.

  He shook his head. On the surface, hiring her made no sense. She was terrible when it came to anything to do with numbers and she couldn’t even follow the rules he’d given her.

  And yet, he couldn’t imagine walking into the shop without seeing her smiling face. He actually enjoyed taking her to and from work most days. Liked that she didn’t try to fill the quiet with useless chatter. The greatest surprise was how much his clients liked her. From rough truckers to bikers to college students.

  They all liked Sunny. She just had an innate sweetness that drew people to her. It could also make her a target for someone trying to take advantage of her. And Duke took protecting her seriously. He told himself it was just because she was his neighbor and employee.