by Wilder, L.
She smiled and then followed me out onto the dance floor. We hadn’t been there long, when two guys came up and started dancing alongside us. Soon after Krissy started flirting with one of them, and they quickly got carried away. His friend kept a courteous distance, but it was clear from his intense stare that he was interested. He was good-looking, tall with blond hair and hazel eyes, and physically fit, but sadly, when I looked at him, my heart didn’t race the way it had with Zander. In fact, my heart wasn’t in it at all, even when the music turned slow and he took me in his arms and we swayed to the rhythm. I should’ve just danced along and pretended that I wasn’t bothered by the fact he wasn’t Zander, but I simply couldn’t do it. Disappointment crossed his face as I stepped back and said, “Thanks for the dance, but I’ve really got to go.”
“Oh ... okay.” He gave me a slight smile and said, “Maybe we can do it again sometime.”
“Yeah ... maybe.”
I hadn’t gotten far when Krissy called out to me, “Hey, Dee! Where ya going?”
I turned to face her as I answered, “I’m gonna go. I’m just not feeling it tonight.”
“What? We’re just starting to have fun.” She motioned her hand back towards the dance floor. “Those guys are totally into us.”
“I know, but I’m just—”
Before I could finish my answer, a surprised look crossed her face as she muttered, “Oh, my god.”
“What?”
“Umm ... He’s here.”
“Who’s here?”
I quickly turned to see who she was talking about, and that’s when I noticed Zander walking in our direction. His eyes were trained on me as he plowed through the crowd with an intense expression marking his handsome face. When he made his way over to us, he reached for my hand and started walking towards the front door. I jerked my hand away from his. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m taking you home.”
“I’m not ready to go home, and I’m certainly not going home with you.” My drinks had clearly caught up with me when I slurred, “So, you can just put that in your pipe and smoke it.”
“You’ve been drinking.”
“Yeah. And?”
“And you’re going home ... Now.” He reached for my hand once again, pulling me forward until I stopped dead in my tracks.
“Just wait a doggone minute! I’m not going anywhere. Besides, I’m not here alone.”
“I’m sure Krissy can get home on her own.”
“That’s not the point,” I argued. “I came with her, and I can’t just leave without telling her. Hold up ... How do you know her name is Krissy?”
Before he could answer, Krissy came rushing past us and waved. “Don’t worry about me, sweetie. I’ve got a ride. You two kids have fun!”
With a big, goofy smirk on her face, my best friend disappeared out the front door, leaving me alone to deal with Zander. Clearly amused by the fact, he cocked his eyebrow and said, “Well, how about that? Looks like Krissy is covered.”
“Yeah, well, no thanks to you.” I wanted to stay mad at him. I needed to. It was the only way I could overcome the disappointment I’d felt over not hearing from him for the past two days, but it wasn’t easy, especially when he looked so damn good. I crossed my arms in defiance as I snapped, “Why are you here, Zander?”
“You know why.”
“I wouldn’t be asking if I did.”
“I’m here for you.” Even though he’d already proven otherwise, he stared at me like I meant something to him—like I was his. “I’m taking you home.”
With that, he took hold of my hand, and this time I didn’t resist as he led me out of the bar and into a crowd of people. When he turned down a dark alley, I thought he was taking me to his bike. Instead, he pinned me up against the wall with his mouth just inches from my ear. The bristles of his day-old beard prickled against my cheek as he whispered, “Why didn’t you answer my message?”
“I didn’t know it was you.”
“Don’t lie to me, Delilah,” he growled. “Why didn’t you answer me?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do.” He inched closer, and I could feel his growing erection as he ordered, “Tell me.”
“I wanted to piss you off ... make you pay for blowing me off.”
He stepped back and looked at me in surprise. “Blowing you off?”
“Don’t stand there and try to deny it. You screwed me and then disappeared, Zander.” I wanted to stay mad at him, but it was almost impossible with the way he was looking at me. “That’s blowing me off, which is fine. I’m a big girl. I can take it.”
“It ever cross your mind that I had shit going on?”
“It ever cross your mind to pick up a phone and tell me you had shit going on? It would’ve taken what ... two seconds of your time.” I cocked my eyebrow as I took a step towards him. “So, why bother coming here now? What’s so important that you had to come down here and find me?”
“Fuck.” He ran his hand through his tousled dark hair. “Are you always such a pain in the ass?”
“No.” A smile crept over my face as I admitted, “Just when it comes to you. I guess you could say you bring it out in me.”
Before I could say anything more, he slammed his mouth against mine, silencing me with a kiss that set my soul on fire. It was then that I knew I was in trouble. I was falling for him, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
Hawk
Delilah Davenport challenged me at every turn. She called me out on my bullshit, not letting me get away with anything, and I couldn’t deny that it was one of the things that drew me to her. Call me crazy, but I actually liked the fact that she had a stubborn streak a mile long and stood up for what she believed. After spending a second night tangled in Delilah’s arms, I thought my feelings about her might change, that I’d finally get her out of my system, but that didn’t happen. As luck would have it, as soon as I woke up the next morning, I found myself wanting to have her once again, and something in my gut told me it was a feeling that wasn’t going to change any time soon. Even though I hated the idea of getting out of that bed with her, I didn’t have a choice. The brothers and I would be leaving in less than an hour for a meet we’d set up between Danny and his handler in Texarkana, and I couldn’t be late. I eased out of bed, and as I started to get dressed, Delilah rolled over to face me. “Going somewhere?”
“I’ve got some club business to take care of.”
“But the sun is barely up.”
“I’m well aware. I’ve gotta go just the same.”
“Is it really club business, or are you just making up an excuse to leave?”
“I don’t make excuses, Delilah. Not for anyone.”
“Okay, just checking.” She eased up on her elbow. “Does this club business have anything to do with Danny?”
“I’ve gotta go.” I slipped on my cut, then walked over and kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll be back late tonight.”
“Will I see you?”
“Probably not. Like I said, it’ll be late when I get back.”
“Okay, be careful.”
“Always.”
It wasn’t easy, especially with her looking so fucking beautiful lying in that bed, but I managed to force myself to walk out of her bedroom and out of her apartment. I got on my bike, and as I drove to the clubhouse, I thought back to the night before when Menace brought to my attention that Delilah had gone down to Music Row with her best friend. Her night out might’ve gone unnoticed if we hadn’t been tracking her phone. When he first told me, I played it off like it was no big deal. I didn’t want to admit to him or myself that I was bothered by the fact, but in truth, I was. At the time, I had no intentions of doing anything about it, but the more I thought about her being in that bar, partying with her little buddy, the more aggravated I became. Out of simple frustration, I sent her a text. When I got no response, I went to see for myself what the hell she was up to. I told m
yself I just wanted to make sure she wasn’t putting the club at risk by drinking and revealing the truth about her brother’s whereabouts, but I knew that wasn’t it. She knew it, too, and she called me out on it—not only at the bar but when we got back to her place.
We were both in the heat of the moment, kissing and rushing to get out of our clothes, and all I could think about was being inside her again, when she stopped me dead in my tracks. “Why did you really come looking for me tonight?”
“You know why.”
“Tell me.”
I looked down at Delilah, relishing her lust-filled eyes, and I couldn’t imagine wanting a woman more. Even though I wanted to tell her the truth, I couldn’t. “I was doing my job.”
“That’s not the only reason, and you know it.”
My memory of our exchange was cut short when I pulled through the gate and found Axel outside talking with Viper. As soon as I was parked, I went over and asked, “Is everything still going down as planned?”
“Yeah. We’re planning to head out soon,” Axel answered. “Where you been?”
“I had some business to tend to.”
A smirk crossed his face. “Your business have something to do with your girl being out partying last night?”
“Menace has a big fucking mouth.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
Concern crossed Viper’s face as he warned, “This isn’t the time for distractions, brother.”
“It’s been taken care of.”
“Good to hear.” When Shotgun came out with Danny in tow, Viper started walking towards the SUV. “Let’s get this thing done.”
It was a seven-hour drive to Texarkana, so it was no surprise that Viper was eager to get on the road. In order to avoid any unwanted suspicions, we’d gone by Danny’s place earlier and picked up his car. Shotgun and Danny got in it. With Widow driving, Viper, Axel, Menace, and I followed close behind as they pulled through the gate and out onto the main road. The guys were quiet as we made our way to the interstate, and they remained silent as we crossed the Tennessee state line into Arkansas, giving me time to get lost in my thoughts once again. I found myself thinking of the moment when Delilah had pushed me to tell her the real reason why I’d shown up at the bar. I never actually said the words. Instead, I kissed her, hoping that and what followed would be enough of an answer for her, and it was—at least for the time being. I had a feeling that she would push me to my limits at every turn, but it wasn’t something I couldn’t handle. This thing with her might be new terrain for me, but she’d learn soon enough that I was a man who could only be pushed so far.
My focus was drawn back to the brothers when Widow asked, “So, when we get this guy back to Nashville, what do you think he’s gonna say? I mean ... you really think he’s the one who’s behind all this bullshit, or are we gonna have to take it a step further?”
“Won’t know until Shotgun has a go with him.”
Viper was right. We had no idea what the days ahead would hold until we got this guy to talk, and I had a feeling it was going to take some real persuasion on Shotgun’s part to get him to tell us exactly what had gone down, especially knowing what was coming to him the second he opened his mouth. Either we’d kill him for swindling us, or his distributor would feed him his balls for ratting him out. The guy was in a no-win situation, and while that might make it more difficult for Shotgun to get him talking, none of us were worried. We all knew he’d do whatever it took to get the information we needed.
When we got closer to the meet location, Shotgun pulled the car over and got in the SUV with us. Danny was wired so we could listen to every word that was said between him and Miller. Menace had also set him up with an earpiece, in case we needed to intervene. As soon as Danny pulled off, Menace got on his mic and warned, “Don’t try anything stupid. Make the exchange and leave everything else to us. Understood?”
“Understood.”
We followed him a mile down the road, and when he turned off down a deserted road, Widow eased back, giving some distance between our vehicles. As planned, Danny drove behind the old, abandoned Whistle Stop and Go car wash and parked. As we drove by, we noticed a thick wooded area directly behind the car wash—a perfect place for us to hide out during the exchange. Once we were certain Danny was in position, we drove several blocks down the street and parked the SUV behind an empty warehouse. Knowing we didn’t have much time, we quickly got out and headed towards the woods, making sure we were close enough to make our move but far enough to not be seen. We’d just gotten settled, when a black Mercedes pulled up to Danny. Danny got out of the car, and as he approached the Mercedes, he was greeted by a tall Hispanic male with long black hair and a thick, burly beard. Listening through his wire, we heard the man ask, “What the fuck happened to you?”
None of us were surprised by the question. While we’d done our best to clean Danny up, he was still covered in cuts and bruises, and with all the punctures from the ice picks, he was moving a little slow. Thankfully, Danny was quick on his feet. “I made a move on the wrong girl at a bar the other night.”
“She teach you a lesson?” Miller scoffed.
“No, but her boyfriend and his buddies sure did. Beat the fuck out of me, but the girl was hot. I had to at least try and get a piece of that.”
“Mmm … No lay is worth that shit.” Miller’s tone quickly changed as he asked, “You got the money?”
“You know I do.” Danny reached into his back pocket and pulled out the envelope of cash we’d given him for the exchange. “You got the goods?”
“Yeah, it’s in the back.” Miller strolled to the rear of the car and nonchalantly opened the trunk. “It’s all there.”
Like he’d done it a million times before, Danny took out his pocketknife and cut one of the bags, quickly sampling the take. After several moments, he turned his attention to Miller and asked, “The others just like this one?”
“Yeah, why the fuck wouldn’t they be?”
“Just checking, man.” Danny shrugged. “I don’t want any trouble with my buyers. They’re the kind of guys who’ll string you up by the balls just for shits and giggles.”
“They have an issue with the last shipment?”
“No ... at least, not that I’m aware of.”
Danny was digging a hole, and if he didn’t watch his step, he was gonna fuck up everything. Hoping to get him back on track, Menace used his mic and told Danny, “Stop running your fucking mouth and get this thing done.”
Miller stood silent, studying Danny’s expression, then grumbled, “You want the shit or not?”
“Yeah, yeah, I want it.”
When Danny reached into the trunk and started to unload, the guy followed suit. Their attention was on transferring the shipment, so Shotgun gave the nod, letting us know it was time to get a move on. We each followed as Shotgun led us out of hiding and into the abandoned parking lot. As we got closer, I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, bringing every nerve in my body to life—not out of fear, but out of eagerness. I, like the rest of my brothers, wanted to take this motherfucker down, find out exactly what he knew, and get this bullshit over and done with once and for all. Unaware that we were inching closer, Danny and Miller continued to move the product from the Mercedes’ trunk over to Danny’s. All was going as planned until the sound of a car driving by off in the distance caught Miller’s attention. He glanced over his shoulder, and his face grew pale with fear when he saw us advancing towards them. Hell, by looking at his frightened expression one would’ve thought the guy was watching a pack of angry wolves charging towards him. I couldn’t blame him for being rattled. Seeing the five of us in our leather cuts, muscular builds, and tattoos would make any man uneasy. We were just a few yards away when he reached for his revolver and aimed it in our direction. “Who the fuck are you?”
Viper continued to charge forward, completely unfazed by the fact that the barrel of Miller’s gun was pointed directly at him. Miller’s
hand started to tremble with apprehension as he placed his finger on the trigger. “Stop right there or I’ll blow your fucking head off.”
Hoping to diffuse the situation, Danny looked over to him and started stammering, “Hey, man. I-It’s cool. I know these guys. They’re business associates of mine.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“They just want to ask you a few questions.”
“I ain’t answering a goddamn thing! Not now. Not ever.”
Concerned for Viper’s safety, Shotgun and I stepped in front of Viper, shielding his body with ours as Viper warned, “Put the gun down.”
“That shit ain’t gonna happen, motherfucker.”
“Have it your way.”
Viper pulled out his Glock, then everyone else did the same. Miller’s eyes widened, leaving no doubt that he was intimidated by the sight of all of us standing in front of him with our weapons drawn. Danny’s knees were practically shaking, making it more than evident that he was equally as freaked when he started yammering, “Look guys. It doesn’t have to go down like this. We all just need to calm the fuck down.”
“You got any idea how bad you’ve fucked this thing up?” Miller asked Danny. “Your ass is gonna be on the line for this shit. It’s all gonna come back on you. Wait and see.”
“Wouldn’t have come to this if you hadn’t fucked with the last shipment.”
Miller was getting more anxious by the second. He was barely able to keep his grip on his weapon as he barked, “Got no idea what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“We think you do,” Viper growled.
“I’m done with this shit.”
The guy’s arm stiffened, and there was no doubt he was about to pull the trigger when Danny lunged in front of him, taking a bullet to the shoulder. As Danny collapsed to the ground, I fired off a round, shooting Miller in the hand. Miller immediately dropped his weapon and started shouting a stream of curses as he cradled his hand to his chest. “Motherfucker!”
I charged over to Miller, placing my gun to the asshole’s head, then looked down at his hand and snickered. “That’s gotta hurt like a bitch.”
