“Vinnie, will you come and sit down, please?” she asks, worry dripping from her tone.
For her, I stop, squeezing the phone tightly in my hand before coming to sit on the edge of the bed. She intertwines her fingers with mine and brings my hand to her lips to kiss my knuckles.
“I’m a little shaken, but I’m okay. It’s not like I didn’t suspect something like this would happen, Vinnie. I’m extremely lucky this is only the first time, or that they didn’t get me. I feel lucky right now, more than scared. I’m here, breathing, you by my side, and I for one am happy about it.” She looks down at her hands and takes a deep breath. “Do you think it’s time I left here? They know where I am, and I don’t want anyone here to get hurt, I’ll never forgive myself. What if Clover was out front when they decided to do the drive-by? Or Faye, or one of the other women? I wouldn’t be able to live with myself, and as much as I love it here, I can’t stay. I need to talk to Talon, he can set me up somewhere else.”
I wait for her to mention what she thinks I’ll be doing, going with her or staying, but she doesn’t. Obviously, I go where she does, but I want her to know that too. Her line about Clover hits me hard, because if anything happened to that little girl, the whole club would die with her. I don’t know what to do, how to keep everyone safe, but I do have an idea that might work.
“Don’t worry about all that,” I tell her, kissing her forehead. “All the necessary security measures will be taken now, no one will get hurt. I messaged Sin, and he’s on his way here, along with all of the other men.
“Either the clubhouse will go into lockdown, or everyone will stay at their private residences—I think in this case that will be the best option, because it’s you they’re after, but that’s Sin’s call, not mine.”
No one would bother going to Sin’s or anyone else’s private residence. Even though the Kings MC are involved, I don’t think they’d be stupid enough to come at the Wind Dragons head-on, although I’m sure they don’t give a fuck who gets hurt in the cross fire. I hope they realize just what kind of enemies they’re making though, because we’re known to hold grudges.
“I hate that this happened,” she says, sighing sadly. “I really thought for a while that they’d just gotten over it, with my father’s death, maybe forgotten about their stupid revenge for everything he did, especially since I had nothing to do with it, but I guess their pride or whatever wins out over logic.”
“No one was hurt,” I remind her, lifting her chin in my fingers. “That’s the main thing. They struck at us and missed, but when the Dragons strike, we never miss, so they just made a huge fuckin’ mistake. We’ll identify them from the surveillance cameras and go from there.”
And by that I mean get rid of them.
I’m not usually so bloodthirsty, but for Shay, I’d do anything.
After I find out some information, like how they knew where Shay was and who else is after her.
Tracker is right—I’ve never been this cold before.
But I’ve never had anything to lose before either.
* * *
“There were two in the car,” Sin tells the table, then slides two pieces of paper to Arrow. “We managed to print out still shots of their faces. Tracker, you and Arrow will find them.” He waits for them to nod in agreement before looking to me. “What do you want to do next, Vinnie? The clubhouse isn’t safe until we take care of these two men.”
“I can take her away somewhere,” I say, leaning back in my chair and studying each man. “But they might think she’s still here and attack anyway. I don’t think the women and children should be here until I sort this shit out.”
“I agree,” Sin says, sitting back in his chair, a contemplative look on his face. “We need to see what information we can get from these men, and if the Kings are directly involved. Vinnie, I’m leaving that up to you. Trace, I want you to make sure our weapon supplies are ready, in case shit goes down. I want men protecting the women and children at all times—no one goes anywhere alone, just in case. Everyone can just stay at their houses and avoid the clubhouse until this shit is sorted. I don’t think they’ll bother hurting anyone unless Shay is with them. They’re not stupid enough to want a war with us, but that’s exactly what the motherfuckers are going to get.” His blue eyes narrow to slits. “No one shoots up our clubhouse and gets away with it.”
Murmurs of agreement.
“Anyone have anything else to say?” he asks, glancing around the room.
Silence.
“Let’s do what we have to then.”
Everyone leaves the room except me and Sin.
Then I tell him exactly what’s been on my mind.
THIRTY-ONE
Shayla
“I HATE that everyone has to leave because of me,” I tell Sin, looking down at the floor. “This is your home. I never should have come here. We should’ve known it wouldn’t end well.”
“Shay,” Sin starts, patting Colt but his eyes are locked on me. “We’re bikers. We live our life a certain way, and with that comes danger. This isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last time shit like this happens. More than anything, we’re family, and we all look after one another. The women will understand, trust me. They’ve all been in some kind of shit at one point or another, and we always saved them, just like we’re gonna save you. You just need to be patient and trust that your man is doing his best to bring all this shit to an end.”
“I do trust him,” I try to explain. “I guess I just wish he didn’t have to do all this, you know? Why couldn’t I just be normal?”
“Then you probably wouldn’t have met Vinnie,” Sin points out, sounding amused. “There’s no point wishing for shit; the only thing you can do is work toward your goal of getting what it is you want. I’ve seen the way you and Vinnie are together. I know you care for him. I’ve seen how you look after him.” Colt runs off, and he watches him. “Love the man, love the club. We’re a package deal, and you fit in here, Shay. Maybe that makes you fuckin’ crazy too, but you do. The women love you. The men go out of their way to teach you how to shoot guns, and shit; hell, even Clover talks about her aunty Shay now. I wasn’t sure about you at the start, but Vinnie was right. He never makes decisions lightly. Everything with him is thought out. The fact that he brought you here spoke volumes and surprised us all, to be honest, but Vinnie knows what he wants.”
His words mean everything.
“Thanks, Sin,” I say, smiling at him. “I really needed to hear that right now, because I’m second-guessing everything, just because I feel the exact same way about everyone here, and it breaks my heart that you’re all getting dragged into my shit. I even thought about leaving—”
“We’ll find you,” Sin cuts me off. “And it just wastes our time, and it will stress Vinnie out; you don’t want to do that, do you?”
“No,” I say on a sigh. “I don’t know what’s more selfish, me staying or me leaving.”
“You’re not selfish. You’re in a bad situation—you didn’t ask for it, and you didn’t do anything wrong. There’s no point concentrating on all the details, Shay. Everyone pays for their family’s mistakes in some way, your price just happens to be high.” He pauses and smirks. “Like people-wanting-to-kill-you high.”
I roll my eyes at his badly timed joke. I have no idea how he can find anything funny about this situation. “If anything happens to Vinnie . . .”
“It won’t,” Sin says, sounding confident enough for the two of us. “Because I won’t let it.”
He sounds so sure, even though we both don’t know what the future will bring.
“Okay, no more feeling sorry for myself,” I decide, choosing to be more optimistic like him.
“That’s it,” he says, nodding. “You have to fight for your happiness; everyone has a different war, but you need to tell yourself that you’re going to win. Who’s going to believe in you if you don’t?”
Vinnie will, I think to myself.
Sin s
miles, as if he knows exactly what I’m thinking. “You’re a good egg, Shay.”
“About time you realized that,” I tease.
He barks out a deep laugh. “I didn’t get where I am today by trusting everyone I meet. My trust is earned, not freely given. I observe; I analyze.” He pauses and grins slyly. “I consult my know-it-all wife.”
I laugh with him over that one. “So now we plan for war?”
“Something like that,” he says, standing up. “We were hoping you’d make us dinner, since you’re the only woman left in the clubhouse.”
It’s then that I give the president of the Wind Dragons the finger.
He throws his head back and laughs, then disappears inside.
I end up making them dinner. After all, it’s the least I can do. Plus, like Sin said, love the man, love the club.
And I sure as hell love both.
* * *
Several days later, I’m packed and ready to deal with my father’s house. Vinnie and Sin are coming with me, and although I feel like this is an unsafe trip, the two of them assured me that it’s going to be fine, that they’ve covered every angle. Faye and Clover are staying with Tracker and Lana until we get back—we decided it would be easier to just spend the night there. The thought of going through all my father’s belongings and putting them into storage makes me feel sick, but it needs to be done. I need to start facing things head-on, and I’m going to start with this. It’s a six-hour drive to get there, and although I offer, for some reason Vinnie is adamant that he drive the whole way there and back.
“I can drive, you know,” I say, wanting to prop my feet up on the dash, but I don’t, because we’re in Vinnie’s four-wheel drive, not my car. “You’re going to get tired if we drive the whole way.”
“I’m sure I’ll survive,” he says, then mutters, “Unlike if you were driving.”
I gasp, my head turning to him in an instant. “What is that supposed to mean? I’m a great driver, thank you very much. I’ll have you know that I passed my test on the first try.”
Vinnie doesn’t look impressed. “I rode behind you on the way here, remember? Babe, you suck. You swerve all over the road, probably because you’re singing along to some terrible song and not paying attention to what you’re doing. I saw you dancing too, and the car was flying all over the place. Don’t even get me started on the way you slam your foot on the brakes.” He glances at me and says, “I don’t know what the brakes ever did to you, but there’s no reason to kick the shit out of them.”
I roll my eyes at his exaggeration. “I’ve had only one accident, and that wasn’t even my fault. No one else has ever complained about my driving.” I pause and add, “I’m such a good driver that I get to sing and add in little dance moves when I see fit.”
“Sing and dance all you want on this trip, because I’m driving the whole fuckin’ way,” he says, softening the blow with a cheeky grin. “You can even listen to any music you want. I have a great skill of being able to block shit out when I don’t want to deal with it.”
“Charming,” I mutter, pursing my lips. Still, I turn on the radio, letting the music fill the car. Twenty minutes into the drive, I sigh heavily. “I’m hungry.”
“We planned to stop in about half an hour, so can you wait? If not there’s some snacks in the back. I got chips, chocolate, and bottled water.”
I turn around and see a plastic bag on the car seat that I didn’t notice before. I go through it and pull out a packet of chips. “You’re the best.”
“Can’t have my woman hungry, can I?” he says, reaching over to squeeze my thigh. I’m about to tell him how sweet he is when he continues talking. “Then I’d have to deal with you being grumpy the whole night. What’s it called? Hangry?”
“Hangry?”
“Yeah, when your hunger makes you angry.”
“I don’t get angry,” I say, scowling at him, then forcing my lips to soften to prove my point. “See? All smiles.” I shove a chip in my mouth. “Do you want one?”
“No, thank you,” he says, mouth twitching. “I don’t know how you can eat those.”
It’s the habanero ones I always get from the store; they’re my favorite, but after a while my mouth does start to burn a little. I must like it though, because I keep going back for more.
“They’re addictive,” I say, crunching into another one. “You’ve never even tried one, yet you don’t like them.”
“I can barely eat pepper, Shay,” he says, making me laugh. It’s true, he couldn’t really handle much of any spice.
“You think that’s funny, huh?”
“I do, it’s like we’re opposites.”
“Opposites attract,” he says, running his hand down my thigh.
“That they do. Are you sure you don’t want me to drive? Just let me know if you get tired. I won’t kill us, okay? I promise. Wouldn’t want to do the mobsters’ work for them.”
Vinnie smirks and says, “Shay, you’ll be asleep in an hour. Trust me. Especially if you play your Sam Smith CD.”
“You don’t know that.”
He puts in my Sam Smith CD.
I sleep for the rest of the drive.
THIRTY-TWO
“YOU wanted me to sleep so you could have a peaceful drive, didn’t you?” I ask him as we walk toward the house.
I pull out my key and hand it to him. The real estate agent will be here tomorrow morning, so I have all of tonight to take what I want. Vinnie said he’ll hire people to pack the rest of the stuff, so I don’t have to do it myself. I don’t really need anything from here—other than some clothes and belongings, everything is replaceable. The only thing I do want to take is my mom’s jewelry, something to remember my father by, and our old family photo albums.
“I wanted you to rest because I know that being back at your father’s house is going to be hard for you—both physically and mentally draining,” he says, looking out toward the road, probably waiting for the rumble of Sin’s bike.
“I’ll be fine,” I say gently, wrapping my arm around his waist. “But thank you for looking out for me.”
“That’s what I’m here for,” he says, eyes softening on me before he goes back to paying attention to his surroundings. He’s on alert, I notice, and probably with good reason. It would go without saying that people would be watching this house, and probably have been for a very long time. I look around myself but see nothing. Then again, what do I know? I hear Sin’s bike before I see it. He parks next to Vinnie’s four-wheel drive, dust filling the air.
“It’s so weird being here,” I say to Vinnie, shifting on my feet.
“This is probably the biggest house I’ve ever seen in my life,” he says, arm tightening around me.
So much has changed since I called this house home. Being back here is like stepping into the past, and bringing Vinnie with me is like mixing past, present, and future. Sin walks up to us, removing his leather jacket as he looks around.
“How was the ride?” Vinnie asks, with a tinge of longing in his voice. I know he couldn’t take his bike because we need to bring my stuff back, even though I told him that I could easily drive alone like last time.
“Pretty good,” Sin replies, lifting his chin to the door. “Shall we?”
“Yeah,” Vinnie says, pushing the key into the lock and turning it. The door opens, making a creaky sound. “Stay between us, Shay.”
With Vinnie in front and Sin at the back, I play the meat in a Wind Dragon sandwich, as we enter the house and look around.
“This place is fuckin’ insane,” Sin comments, whistling. “Our clubhouse must be like a shack to you.”
I turn and give him a dirty look, which only makes him grin.
When they decide the place looks safe enough, I head to my room and start to take the things I want. Vinnie carries everything down to the SUV, packing it in the back. I walk into my parents’ room, my fingers trailing along the wall. I remember when I used to hide inside my dad’s walk-in clos
et as a child, playing with my dolls and trying to jump out and scare him when I could hear him. I remember my mom brushing my hair while I sat on their bed, and telling me that I was her favorite girl. When she died from cancer, it was just my father and me.
I sit on his bed and make a list of everything I want to do, donate his expensive designer clothes and suits, sell the house already furnished so I didn’t have to worry about the furniture. Who knows what could be found in this house though, what things my father tried to hide or keep away from everyone?
“You okay?” Vinnie asks, standing in the doorway in his black V-neck T-shirt and jeans, pulling me out of my thoughts. I check him out from head to toe, admiring him for a moment, before getting off the bed and closing the space between us.
“Yeah,” I tell him. “I’m just making a list of what I want done with everything.”
“Good idea,” he says, placing his hands on my hips. “Do you need any help?”
“No, I’m good,” I tell him. “I’m just going to finish up in my room and then I’ll be done.”
“Okay,” he says, hand on my nape. “You know I’m here if you need anything, but if you want to do it alone, I get it too, all right?”
I nod and place a kiss on his chest, then head to my bedroom.
The quicker I get this over with, the better.
* * *
A few hours later, I’m downstairs, sitting in the den with Vinnie and Sin. Both of them seem on edge, and it’s making me nervous. The sun has just gone down, leaving an almost eerie feeling, like we were all just waiting for something to go wrong.
“What is it?” I ask softly, looking between the two men.
When I hear a noise coming from the front door, I instantly stand. Vinnie grabs my hand and pulls me toward the kitchen, where he looks out the back door.
“They’re here,” Sin announces, pulling his gun out. “You ready for this, brother?”
“I was born ready,” Vinnie replies, pulling out his phone and barking into it, “Now.”
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