Spider and I left his house, and he strode toward his bike with me following close behind him. Without a word, he straddled his Hog and waited patiently for me to get on and fasten my helmet under my chin. Then we were off, speeding through the morning air toward the clubhouse and a day fraught with unknowns.
When we got to the parking lot, a dozen Harleys were already there and parked. Dime Bag, Chig, and Doc were standing outside smoking, gesturing earnestly as they talked. They looked up as they saw us pull in. Chig raised a hand in greeting and came toward us. As soon as Spider shut off the bike, his father started talking: “Bullet didn’t make it. Doc’s on the warpath, wants to go in and end as many of them as we can.” Chig glanced at me as he spoke. I was relieved to see he didn’t question that I was with Spider. It seemed that he had completely forgotten his drunken attempt to use me as one of the club whores.
Spider sighed, his brow furrowing. “We gotta do this smart. This shit could blow up in our faces if we aren’t careful. Whatever action we take, it’s gotta be the one that ends this once and for all.”
I shuddered as I listened to the men talk. I wanted to beg Spider to hide, to run until it was all over and he was no longer in danger, but I knew he would never do that. He looked at me now, his eyes changing from angry to tender. “You go on home, and don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I’ll call you later, darlin’.” He cupped my chin in his hand and kissed me deeply: a promise. “Okay,” I whispered, nodding at him. We exchanged a long, wordless look, and then he stepped away and walked into the clubhouse with the others.
Doing my best to push down the rising wave of fear that was threatening to overwhelm me, I turned and walked to my car. I fished in my purse and found my keys. My battered old Civic started on the second turn, and I pulled out of the parking lot and turned right toward town. A few miles later, I noticed there was a black pickup truck behind me that seemed to be slowing when I slowed and speeding up when I did. Frowning, I put on my turn signal and took a right into a newer housing development. I pulled into an empty driveway and checked in my rearview mirror to see what the truck would do. It turned into the development behind me, and then drove past the house as I watched. I sighed and chalked my reaction up to nerves.
Just in case, though, I hurried up to my front door as soon as I got home, and made sure to lock the door behind me. Unfortunately, with everything that had happened in the last couple of hours, my nerves were raw and frayed. Sitting still was an impossibility, and I moved aimlessly around from room to room in search of something to distract me. At least if I had had to work, there would be something to take my mind off my troubles, but I was off until Wednesday. Rashly, I even contemplated going into Teasers and asking them if they needed any help, but dismissed the idea as ridiculous. Finally, I threw some laundry in the washer and decided to go out for some groceries after changing into something more practical. I flung on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, threw my hair up into a ponytail, and left the house in a rush of relief. The day was gorgeous, at least, so I rolled down the windows during the drive and forced myself to concentrate on enjoying it as best I could.
I picked up a few items from the Food 4 Less, wandering the aisles aimlessly with my cart to kill time. When it seemed like I had examined every single item in the store, I checked out and packed my groceries in the trunk of my car. I drove into the downtown and went to a local diner for a brunch of eggs, pancakes, and bacon that I merely picked at. Finally, I couldn’t take it any longer. I paid the bill, went out to my car, and pointed it in the direction of Teasers and the clubhouse. I had to know what was going on.
Unfortunately, no one there could enlighten me much. Teasers was closed until early afternoon out of deference to the Sunday churchgoing crowd, and only Larry was there. He told me that the MC had all been dispatched to one place or another, with only the two prospects left at the clubhouse to stand guard and alert the MC in case something happened. I thanked Larry and walked down the hallway to the clubhouse entrance. Inside, I found Mack and Robbie sitting around, nursing beers and looking alert and antsy. They treated me deferentially and answered all my questions as best they could, and I realized they assumed I was now Spider’s old lady. Am I? I wondered. Could you be someone’s old lady, when they didn’t even know your real name?
As helpful as the prospects tried to be, they weren’t able to answer many of my questions, and eventually wandered back out to the bar in defeat. Larry told me he didn’t need any extra help that day, and that Candy would be coming in soon for her shift. Since the only thing that would make my day worse right now would be having to put up with Candy’s bullshit, I figured I would head home and put my groceries away. Waving goodbye to Larry, I left by the front door and came blinking into the bright sunshine outside.
I’d left my purse, which had my sunglasses in it, on the floor of my passenger seat, so I had to raise my arm up to shield my eyes as I made my way across the parking lot. Alone with my thoughts again, they naturally turned back to Spider and what he might be doing right now. I was trying to cheer myself with the thought that he might have left a text for me on my phone that I didn’t notice the steps coming up behind me on the gravel until the back of my head exploded and everything went black.
* * *
Crazily, the first thing I remember thinking when I came to was that my milk was going to spoil if I didn’t get to my groceries in time to put them in the fridge. My head was pounding like someone was operating a jackhammer next to it. I was lying on my side facing a concrete wall on what felt and smelled like a dirty mattress. My hands and feet were bound tightly.
For the first few minutes, I was in too much pain to process anything but that. Eventually, I came to enough to begin trying to take some measure of my surroundings. No noises came to me, not even voices; it seemed I was alone. The air was cool and dank, and I wished for a jacket or a blanket to warm me. I tried to roll over, and as the back of my head touched the mattress, a searing pain made me gasp. Whoever hit me, I was lucky they hadn’t crushed my skull or I would be dead right now. With that thought came the realization that, although whoever had done this hadn’t killed me yet, they could easily do so anytime they wanted. I was helpless, alone. Panic flooded my senses; my heart was racing so fast, it felt as though it would burst right out of my chest. I stifled a scream as tears filled my bound eyes; my body began to shake with cold and fear. I rolled back on my side and curled into the fetal position, willing myself to stay calm. Stop, Tallie, stop, stop, stop… You have to stay calm, you have to stay calm!
I began deliberately taking long, deep breaths to try to calm myself. Think, Tallie. What is going on? My mind went to the club, to the danger I knew Spider was in. The Vipers had lost two of their members in a fight with the Fugitives, he had said. An eye for an eye: two members of the Vipers lost meant two members of the Fugitives as payback. Bullet had been the first. Was I the second? That made no sense. Even as little as I knew about the rules of the MC jungle, I couldn’t imagine that the Vipers would accept killing me as acceptable revenge for losing one of their own. The cut had to be deeper than that. The cut…
A door opened off to the distance: a metal bottom scraping against what sounded like a cement floor. Two sets of heavy footsteps entered the room. “Oye, looks like Spider’s mamacita is awake,” a male’s accented voice said. A pair of rough hands grabbed me by the arms and lifted me up. Another impatient voice growled into my ear: “Stand up, bitch.” Stumbling, I did my best to do as the voice said. I was dragged over to a chair and pushed down onto it. I could see now that I was in some sort of basement. With wide, terrified eyes, I looked into the face of a man I’d never seen before. He was dark-complected, Latino, with angry eyes and harsh mouth set into a sneer. He had on a cut, with patches spelling out “President” and “Vipers MC.” Off to the side stood the man who had pulled me into the chair. He was larger, bulkier than the president, and gave me a look of such loathing that I was sure I would be killed any minute.
&
nbsp; “You know, bitch, your man is in a whole lotta trouble,” said the president of the Vipers, looking down at me and crossing his arms. “You know why?”
“N-no,” I whispered.
“He and his buddies killed my brothers Hector and Luis. You think that’s right?” the man asked, cocking his head at me. I knew he expected an answer, but there was nothing I could say. Either response was the wrong one.
“ANSWER ME!” he yelled, moving forward and sticking his face into mine. I shrieked and recoiled backwards. “No,” I whispered again as tears filled my eyes and began coursing down my cheeks.
“Me neither.” He leaned back, seeming satisfied with my response. “So now, I got a choice, either I kill you…” He stopped and stared at me with eyes that made my blood run cold. “…Or, I wait for your boyfriend and I kill him. What you think I should do?”
By now I was sobbing softly as I stared terrified at the man. He waited for my answer. When none came, he leaned down close to me and brought the back of his hand crashing across my face. “Answer me!” he thundered. “What. Should. I. Do?” I continued sobbing, shaking my head. I couldn’t speak. His hand came down across my face again, making my ears ring. This time, coppery blood filled my mouth.
When I still didn’t answer, I was sure the man would continue hitting me until I passed out from the pain. I braced myself for the next impact, but miraculously, it didn’t come. Irrational hope turned to despair as he shook his head and sighed. “Oh, well,” he said in a singsong voice. “I guess we’ll have to wait for Spider to get here, so he can choose for himself. Nacho,” he called, turning to the other man, who had been waiting in the shadows. “Tie this puta up to the chair.” With that, the man strode out of the room. The man named Nacho grabbed a length of rope from a nearby table and fastened me securely to the chair, not bothering to remove the cords that bound my hands and feet. Without a word, he strode from the room, leaving me alone once again.
Tears streamed down my face, mixing with the coppery blood taste in my mouth. Again, I tried taking deep breaths to calm myself. Why, why hadn’t I paid more attention coming out of the bar? How could I be so stupid? I knew the Fugitives were in danger. How could I make it worse by walking right into a trap? Now they would use me to lure Spider to them. Spider, whom I was falling in love with. Spider, who had no idea I wasn’t who I said I was. He would be risking his life, walking right into the danger, to try to save someone who had done nothing but lie to him since the beginning. My breath hitched as the full force of what I had done hit me. I had wanted revenge on the club, and now I would get it. They would go down, and so would I in the process.
“Hijo de puta!” An angry cry came from the other side of the door, followed by gunshots. Men’s voices were yelling outside, a chaos of English and Spanish. A rain of gunfire assaulted the metal door, and I screamed in panic. Then the door burst open, and Spider appeared, flanked by Dime Bag and Doc. “Holy shit, Tina!” Spider shouted, and ran toward me. He knelt down beside me, his eyes full of pain as they met mine. “What did they do to you?” he whispered.
“You’re here… you’re safe,” I said softly. “Oh, thank God!” My tears began falling again, this time from relief. I continued to cry helplessly as I let Spider cut my arms and legs free. He helped me gently to my feet and led me out, Doc and Dime Bag following behind us. We walked through a scene of destruction, smashed glass and splintered furniture everywhere. On the floor lay Nacho and the president. “Villarosa,” Spider spat as we walked by his body. “That scum has had this coming for a long time.”
“How did you find me?” I asked Spider in a trembling voice as he led me outside.
“There’ll be time to talk about it later,” he murmured reassuringly, kissing me on the temple. “Right now, let’s just get you home.”
* * *
A few hours later, I was resting on my couch, an ice pack against my temple. Spider was bustling around my kitchen, and came into the living room with a half-full glass of amber-colored liquid. “Drink this,” he said gently, handing it to me. “It’ll help you to relax.”
I took it from him and sipped, grateful as the burning sensation ran down my throat, warming my insides. I clasped the glass in both hands, as if it could anchor me somehow.
“I called the club and told the prospects to bring your car here,” he said as he sat down next to me on the couch. “They should be here soon.”
“Thank you, Spider,” I murmured.
“Of course, baby girl,” he smiled, raising his hand to gently cup my chin. “How’s your head?”
“Hurts,” I muttered. I stared into the glass, trying not to look at him. What had happened today had changed everything. I could no longer pretend to know why I was here anymore. The man I had sworn vengeance against had put himself in danger to rescue me. He was here, nursing me now. My world made no sense anymore. “How did you figure out the Vipers had me?” I asked him, to make him keep talking while I thought things through.
“When I went back to the clubhouse, your car was still there, but you weren’t. Larry said you’d left an hour ago. It wasn’t too hard to figure out that someone in the Vipers figured they could use you to get to me. Villarosa hates me with a passion, and I’m pretty sure someone told him I took out one of their brothers during the ambush a few days ago. Offing me would have been a double prize for him, but he knew he wouldn’t get to me easily. I’m pretty sure their plan was to call me and tell me they had you, but we figured it out before they had the chance.”
“What happens now with the Vipers?” I asked. “You’ve killed two more of their guys now, including their president!”
“It’s gonna be a world of shit,” he admitted. “But cutting off their head will keep them scrambling for a little bit, and we’ve sent them a pretty strong message. Don’t worry about this now, babe,” he murmured, moving toward me and folding me in his arms. “The club’s used to dealing with shit like this. It’ll be fine. I’ll be fine.” He kissed my forehead, then brought my face up to his. “I’ve got you, don’t I?” Spider leaned down and gave me the gentlest, most loving kiss I’d ever felt. His tenderness brought tears to my eyes. It was then that I knew. I knew what I had to do.
“Stop!” I whispered, turning my head away.
“Babe, what is it?” Spider’s voice pinged with alarm. “What’s wrong? What can I do?”
I squeezed my eyes shut, causing two tears to stream down my cheeks. Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes again and set my drink down on the coffee table. “Spider,” I began. “You remember when you told me about your best friend, who died? The one who made you question everything in your life?”
“Of course. Gonzo.”
“Right. Gonzo.” I turned my face to him. “Kyle. My brother.”
“What?” Spider’s eyes bored into mine, dark with confusion. “How…” he stammered, and then recognition began to flood his face.
“My name isn’t Tina Andrews,” I whispered. “It’s Tallie Hendricks.”
Chapter Eight
“Tallie,” Spider marveled as he stared at me. “Holy shit, it’s really you?” I nodded at him mutely. “I don’t understand,” he continued, in a dazed voice. “What are you doing here? Your family left town after Gonzo died.”
“I came back,” I said simply. “To hurt the club.”
The transformation on Spider’s face as he took in my words shattered my heart into a million pieces. From a look of surprise and wonder at seeing his best friend’s little sister sitting before him, a lightning bolt of sheer pain sliced through his features. His eyes – his beautiful, expressive crystal blue eyes – clouded over, then hardened into the purest distillation of anger I had ever seen. “I see,” he said, his icy voice a perfect echo of the cold fury in his gaze. “And you figured the easiest way to hurt the club was to trick Gonzo’s best friend into falling in love with you.”
“No!” I cried. Oh, God, not that. I couldn’t stand to have him believe that. “Spider, I never plan
ned to…”
“Fuck you!” he snarled. “Fuck you and every word that comes out of your lying fucking mouth. Do you think I’m not tortured every day by what happened to Kyle? Do you think it hasn’t taken everything I have to put it behind me so that I could concentrate on keeping my other brothers safe, so it wouldn’t ever happen again? Jesus Christ,” he spat, turning away from me and beginning to pace back and forth frenziedly across my living room.
“Spider, please, listen! No, I didn’t think that – not at first!” My tone was pleading; I just had to make him understand that I had never meant to hurt him, that I really was in love with him. That the only chance we had of being together was if I could tell him the whole truth, and somehow make him see it, believe it. “I didn’t think anything through at first, other than that I blamed the Fugitives for my brother dying. I blamed you all for ruining my family. I didn’t know what I was going to do at all to hurt you, other than come here and figure it out as I went along. And then,” my tone softened. “I met you. Spider, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. But I love you. And now I know I was wrong. I know you loved Kyle as much as I did. I know it wasn’t your fault he died. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. He decided to be part of the club. It was his choice.”
“How can I ever believe you now?” he yelled. “Every fucking thing you say is a lie to me! How do I know you’re not planning something right now? How do I know you didn’t fake your fucking kidnapping with the Vipers? How do I know you’re not fucking one of them, that you didn’t plan this whole thing to help them destroy us?”
“Well, why the hell would I tell you who I really am, then, if I was?” I shouted at him, standing up from the couch to face him. My hands curled into fists as I screamed in my desperation. “I never, ever planned for this to happen! I fell in love with you! I couldn’t help it, and believe me, I tried! I tried to stay away from you. I tried to tell myself that the Fugitives were guilty, that your fucking ‘eye for an eye’ thinking was what caused my brother’s death, and that you deserved everything I could manage to do to you.” I was crying now, tears streaming freely down my face as I blurted everything out. “But then I realized that ‘eye for an eye’ was exactly what I was thinking when I planned to get revenge for Kyle and my family. And now,” I finished, sitting back down on the couch and beginning to sob, “I don’t know what to do. I’m in love with you, and I don’t know how to fix this, and I don’t know how to just not think about Kyle’s death anymore. I don’t know how you do that. How do you just pretend it never happened?”
Ultimate Alphas: Bad Boys and Good Lovers (The Naughty List Romance Bundles) Page 6
